Following the launch of Yahoo's "status-casting" for its email service back in August 2009, Google will also allow its email users to their update status. Google could announce "the Twitter-killer" as soon as this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The prompt reads, "let people know what you're up to, or share links to photos, videos, and Web pages." But every time a user updates their status, the previous update disappears into the ether.

The WSJ says the new feature will "allow Gmail users to view a stream of status updates from people they choose to connect with." It will be tightly integrated with Google's video-sharing site YouTube and its photo-sharing site Picasa.

[via Business Insider]