Apr. 1--If something online is too good to be true today, it probably is. Today, April Fools' Day, is known for an abundance of Internet hoaxes.

Google, the leader of the prankster pack, debuted a new feature to its popular Gmail e-mail service this morning -- Gmail Autopilot.

"As more and more everyday communication takes place over email, lots of people have complained about how hard it is to read and respond to every message," the Web site states. "This is because they actually read and respond to all their messages."

The new service would respond to e-mails and Gmail chat conversations for users, taking all the work out of maintaining e-mail. There's even calibration where users can decide the amount of capitalization, typos and emoticons their automatic responses would contain.

Close to home

While it's not a secret that news organizations are struggling amid a steep decline in ad revenue, I'm hoping the Guardian newspaper is joking with its big announcement today.

The British newspaper is reporting today that it will trade publishing in paper and ink and convert to reporting stories only on Twitter.

The popular microblogging network limits users to messages that contain 140 characters -- about as long as this paragraph.

The 188-year-old news organization offers examples of how it may have reported historical events if it had solely relied on Twitter:

1927: OMG first successful transatlantic air flight wow, pretty cool! Boring day otherwise *sigh*

1989: Berlin Wall falls! Majority view of Twitterers = it's a historic moment! What do you think??? Have your say

With a wink

Another prank comes from Opera -- the company that makes an innovative Web browser.

The company says today it is introducing the ability to control a Web browser with facial commands. A simple grimace or a fish face would allow a user to navigate from page to page.

Watch the video demonstration below.

What funny pranks are you seeing out there today? Comment below and let us know.

Contact MARK W. SMITH: 313-223-4424 or msmith@freepress.com

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