Google has always been generous with the size of attachments it allows Gmail users to add to their emails. Today, Google offers a better tool for those who want to insert an image into the body of the email itself.It's a pretty simple tool to use. In Gmail settings, enable the Inserting Images lab and save. Once you do, you'll see a new icon in the toolbar for inserting images into your email.

But it's not perfect. You have to be in rich formatting mode, according to Google, or the icon won't show up. When you click the button, you can upload images in two different ways. You can upload directly from your computer, or stick in a URL for an image.

Google software engineer Kent Tamura reminds us, "Keep in mind that Gmail doesn't show URL-based images in messages by default to protect you from spammers, so if you're sending mail to other Gmail users, they'll still have to click 'Display images below' or 'Always display images from ...' to see images you embed."

I took it for a quick spin this morning. It works just as Google says. Click on the little icon, and a separate window opens. You can choose to browse your PC or add an image URL. Either way, the image is added to the body of the email. Be careful, though. Large images will take up the entire compose screen of the email. Luckily, there's a little tool at the bottom of the image that lets you re-size it or delete it on-the-fly. You can choose between small, medium, large, or the original size.

It's a simple feature, but an appreciated one nonetheless.