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Google Yanks SMS Feature From Gmail Chat

Last week, there was much hoopla over the fact that Google added SMS capability to its Gmail chatting program. Looks like everyone got excited for nothing. The feature didn't work, and Google pulled the plug. For now.

Google, you're such a tease. Being able to send text messages to the mobile phones of family and friends from a PC is a great feature. It's one that Yahoo IM has had for a long time, by the way. Just when it looked like Google was going to answer our chat-to-SMS prayers, a bug got in the way.

No long after posting the feature to Gmail Labs, Google retracted it. Google writes:

Oh snap. Last night, we started rolling out a new feature to Gmail Labs that lets you send SMS text messages right from Gmail. It combines the best parts of IM and texting: you chat from your computer and reach your friends no matter where they are. Your friends who are away from their computers get your messages as texts and can peck out replies on their little keyboards. It was pretty cool for a few minutes last night when we were sitting around texting each other.

Then we found a glitch. When you'd try to turn it on, it wouldn't fully enable. We thought about keeping it out there -- bugs and all -- but the experience wasn't that great. So, in the spirit of Labs, we've pulled SMS chat back to fix it, and we'll get it back out to you as soon as it's ready -- probably within 2 weeks, so stay tuned.

So, was this a beta of a beta? What is the official status of Labs features anyway? Are they alphas? I mean, Gmail itself is still in beta. Unproven features of a beta have to be alpha versions, yes?

Whatever the case may be, looks like Gmail users will have to find another way to send SMS messages from their PC to their friends' phones. For a couple of weeks, anyway.

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