Over the last two-and-a-half years, search engine giant Google analyzed the performance of the thousands of computers it uses for its own data centers. The surprising trend? Based on real-world data, Google concluded that the error rates of memory chips are higher than previously believed. Much much higher:
How many errors? On average, about one in three Google servers experienced a correctable memory error each year and one in a hundred an uncorrectable error, an event that typically causes a crash.
Older research showed that, for every 1 billion hours, a memory chip would fail on average around 200 to 5,000 times. …read more

The short version: Google Wave is your traditional forum on steroids, with the ability to add extensions to change the way you share stuff with other people. As you’ve probably seen screenshots of Google Wave, I hope the first impressions I share below carry some sense of novelty. Feel free to skip the first section if you’re already familiar with Google Wave.
What is Google Wave?
The layout of Google Wave is similar to Gmail, with the addition of a third column on the right to display the contents of whatever wave is selected on the middle column, and it’s possible to …read more

So it’s reported that, that full access to an Android OS device is as easy as downloading a 4MB app called FlashRec and executing it. The app basically replaces the devices recovery ROM with a less restrictive one, so completing the process requires asking the device to do recovery. The user-friendly aspect? This hack is kind enough to allow backups of whatever it overwrites, so returning the whole setup to “pristine” condition is possible.
hat’s the point of “rooting” the Android OS? It pretty much opens up the device to any modified Android OS of a user’s choosing, allowing customization on …read more

According to the source, here are the specs you should expect from Dell’s rumored Android smartphone, the so-called “Benzine” which is rumored as ready for launch:

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE class 12
Size: 68.6cc
103g grams weight
Dimensions: 58 x 122 x 11.7mm
Display: 3.5″ nHD 640×360 LCD, 18-bit, 262K colors
OTA capable
Microsoft Exchange support
Google, AIM, Yahoo and MSN IM support
3 megapixel auto-focus, flash, 8x digital zoom camera with 30fps video shooting mode, built in photo editor
USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
A-GPS
On-screen QWERTY keyboard, hardwriting recognition, multi touch UI
MicroSD slot

Pretty thin and full-featured, if you ask me. And unless the version of Android to run on this gadget …read more

True or false?

It’s obvious that How to steer clear of money scams on the Official Google Blog is meant to promote Google’s services, with liberal linking. But at least the advice is sensible (more like common sense actually), and the services linked to really are useful. That is all.

In attempt to get more people to their website BillShrink recently came out with this well-made digital flyer that compares the so-called “new generation” smartphones:
Here’s that table in real-text form:

iPhone 3GS (AT&T)
Palm Pre (Sprint)
Android G1 (T-Mobile)

Storage Capacity
16GB
8GB
1GB (Expandable SD Slot)

Talk Time (hours)
5
5
5

Standby Time (hours)
300
300
130

Camera Megapixels
3.0
With Video Recording & Editing
3.0
3.0
With Video Recording

WiFi?
Yes
Yes
Yes

GPS
Yes
Turn By Turn (& Digital Compass)
Yes
Turn by Turn
Yes
Turn By Turn (& Digital Compass)

Voice Commands?
Yes
No
Yes

App Store
iTunes App Store
Palm App Catalog
Android Market

Price (With Contract)
$199
$199
$149

Price (Without Contract)
$599
$550
$399

Service Plans
Unlimited:
$99.99 – Voice
$30.00 – Data
$20.00 – Messaging
Unlimited Voice, Data, & Messaging:
$99.99
Unlimited:
$99.99 – Voice & Messaging
$24.99 – Data

Total Costs (+Tax Over 24 Months)
$3,600
$2,400
$3,149

In the video below, you can see the Android OS—originally designed for mobile phones—boot up relatively quickly and take full advantage of the laptop’s built-in HSDPA. Yes, you heard that right, a laptop:
Featured at the recently concluded Computex, it’s obvious that Google needs to change at least one thing: you don’t tell a laptop owner to turn of his or her “phone”. Interesting though how the apparently unvarnished version of the OS automatically adapts to a laptop’s larger-than-mobile resolution. According to the video’s uploader, Asus was publicizing their own Android-based laptop, but reportedly chose not to showcase a demo unit.
Compal, …read more

Since StatCounter started tracking Microsoft Bing’s online presence last June 1, the search engine has grabbed a market share of 5.56%—about 0.39% higher than Yahoo as of June 4.
No doubt, Microsoft’s marketing push has helped. I’m sure Bing has benefited from the relative success of Windows 7 to grab the attention of the more tech-minded, while more casual users probably try Bing out of curiosity.
It remains to be seen if Bing will maintain its momentum. Google after all retains its stranglehold on search at 87.66%. Yet it’s actually lost almost two percent market share over the June 1 – June …read more

In summary, its creators bill Google Wave as what email would look like if it made its debut today. And through O’Reilly Radar do the makers publicize Wave and its upcoming launch. Instead of emails grouped into conversations, we now have Waves, individually described as a cloud-based conversation. Essentially, Wave is more about collaboration rather than communication.

It’s the initial description that pushes me to describe Wave as advanced IM, not email. The yet-to-be-released service seems to come across as an amorphous group chat, but with the ability to pin your replies or comments onto a specific portion of the Wave, …read more