Since Facebook opened its API, its users have been able to access the social network via a number of different platforms and devices.

If you are one of those Gmail users that constantly has one tab open to keep on top of the onrushing torrent of electronic mail you receive and another to check on the latest updates on your Facebook feed, you might be surprised to learn there is a way to integrate Facebook into your Gmail account by way of the Google Labs experiement “Add any gadget by URL”.

Just follow these easy steps (provided by Instant Fundas) to integrate Facebook from within your Gmail account:

1. Log in to your Gmail account and click the ‘Settings’ link at the top right of the screen.

2. Click the “Labs” tab, locate “Add any gadget by URL”. Enable the option and click ‘Save Changes‘ at the bottom of the screen.

3. You will now have an option added to the Settings page entitled ‘Gadgets‘. Click this option and enter the following into the field provided, clicking ‘Add’ to save:

4. You will now have an new widget added to your Gmail sidebar. To load the widget, click ‘Expand‘ and you will be presented with a Facebook Connect button.

5. Connecting your Facebook account will require permissions to access your account, click allow and your Facebook feed will be loaded inside Gmail’s main body. If you aren’t happy with permitting access to your account, it might be worth staying away from this widget or monitoring the application if you do use it.