Headline news for Gmail
Google has updated its Gmail service with a new feature that will display headlines from blogs and news sites.
The "Web Clips" feature uses RSS feeds from sites to randomly display headlines on top of a user's in-box.
Google's move follows Yahoo's launch last month of an feature that adds RSS feeds into e-mail.
The new tool from Google didn't meet with universal acclaim. Several bloggers said they were disappointed by the feature, saying it was poorly designed or not helpful.
Blog community response:
"I wonder if it's Google or me, but I can't seem to get behind anything they do these days. The latest abomination is 'web clips' inside Gmail. Everything about it is irritating."
--Scripting News
"I am trying to add feeds, but having no luck in searching for topics etc. If you are successful, let me know. Otherwise, we might have to catalog this as yet another premature launch from Google!"
--Om Malik's Blog
"It's non-intrusive and looks mostly harmless, but it's feeding me some results that are two or three days old."
--The Guardian's Technology blog
"Sorry Google - Web Clips is certainly not compelling enough to make me abandon my current RSS service, and I have a feeling I am not alone."
--SmallMultiples
Margaret is news editor for CNET News, based in the Boston bureau. She also oversees the CNET Blog Network. E-mail Margaret. 
