<p>Are those Gmail Labs add-ons safe to use, or could I be endangering my in-box by installing them?</p><p>A.</p><p>Those nifty little Gmail-helper programs known as Labs, which do things like display Google Docs and Map previews in messages, or provide a preview pane for the mailbox, are experimental. While some Labs are quietly safe, some could potentially cause problems with your in-box loading properly. Google itself stresses that Labs could break at any time, and certain Labs add-ons could change or disappear temporarily or for good. So proceed at your own risk.</p><p>You may find that some Gmail Labs are so inventive and handy that they are worth that risk. Google occasionally highlights new additions to the Labs collection on the Gmail blog for people who like to sample new software.</p><p><a href="http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/qa-experimenting-with-gmail-labs/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://en.kioskea.net/news/23704-gmail-offers-new-experimental-features-with-labs">Gmail Offers New `Experimental&#039; Features with Labs</a> (Kioskea)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dsUuBtpUjTJLpzMEwebcIPfklKZeM&ned=us">4 additional articles.</a></p>