Google apologizes for e-mail downtime

I don't know about the rest of you, but Google's mail servers were an absolute NIGHTMARE for me earlier this week. Both my Google Apps and Gmail accounts were going in and out of service (though I was fortunate that one Google Apps account was never down) and I couldn't even log-in to Gmail for several hours.

Google has apologized for the outage and promises to do a full audit of what went wrong.

[via Official Gmail Blog]

Docs spreadsheet gets new features

Google Docs has added some great new features to its spreadsheet application. One of the best additions is the ability to create a Form directly from the Docs list. I love Google Forms, but the previous creation method was tedious. The Forms interface is also a bit more streamlined and easier to understand.

Google also added the ability to import data from other Google Docs spreadsheets using the ImportRange() function. Find and replace has also been added to the spreadsheet editor, using the standard CTRL-F (CMD-F on Mac) keystrokes.

[via Official Google Docs Blog]

AdSense for Feeds is launching

In May, Google's FeedBurner service announced that AdSense for Feeds would be launching soon. It appears that the rollout is happening now.

My AdSense profile now has an AdSense for Feeds area. The interface is similar to FeedBurner's now shuttered FAN network, but the size of the ads is already set and your AdSense code is already ready to go.

[via Google Operating System]

Google Reader improves sharing

Google Reader has improved its sharing interface, now allowing you to create a "friends" list within Reader, that is separate from your Gmail Contacts. Now you can custom-select who you want to share feeds with, and who you might not want to annoy.

[via Official Google Reader Blog]

First Android phone to launch in Q4

And you say I never cover Android news. The New York Times is reporting that T-Mobile will be bringing out the first handset running on the Android platform, which is a collaboration between Google and The Open Handset Alliance.

The device is being made by HTC (makers of the popular Wing, Dash and Diamond or "Touch" phones) and is code-named the "Dream." T-Mobile is saying the phone will be out in the United States before Christmas, with the New York Times speculating we might see it as early as October.

This phone, the first to use Google's mobile platform, is being developed as a direct-competitor to Apple's iPhone.

[via The New York Times]