Word came down today from the official GMail Blog that several new preview options had been added in GMail labs. Included are YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Yelp, and you can choose to activate previews on a per-site basis.

The previews may not always work - my test attachment, Tay Zonady's epic YouTube video Chocolate Rain, failed to appear in both Firefox and Google Chrome. I did succeed with my other attempts: linked Flickr images appeared in both browsers, as did Yelp comments.

If nothing else, the new feature should make it a little bit easier for you to watch the viral videos your cohorts email you during the work day. GMail's message view is definitely more discreet than pulling up YouTube in a new window or tab.

[via Google Operating System]