A picture is worth a thousand words

Posted by Darren Lewis, Gmail engineer

Here on the Gmail team, we're always thinking of ways to help you communicate. Back in the day, we put chat right inside Gmail. Then along came group chat and more emoticons. And when we realized that late night communication had its downsides, we created a state-of-the-art lucidity test for after-hours email. Anyway, the black and white days of text-based emails have had their day. Following the evolutionary path blazed by colored labels, we present, in all their technicolor glory, emoticons in your mail.


No more will you have to settle for a ;) when you can have a . Out with the "XOXO" and in with the . And of course, when the bad news smells really bad, transcends all words.

So raise your and welcome in the colorful new world of Gmail

P.S. For those of you who love our chat smileys,
we've also added a whole new set for your enjoyment.

Link - from Official Gmail Blog
Related:
Gmail for mobile: faster, smoother, and now in more languages
Introducing Gmail for mobile 2.0
Down to the wire on white spaces
Keeping orkut beautiful