I actually like that they give a specific time to expect the next update down to the minute
"We're aware of a problem with Google Mail affecting a majority of users. The affected users are unable to access Google Mail. We will provide an update by September 1, 2009 4:53:00 PM UTC-4 detailing when we expect to resolve the problem. Please note that this resolution time is an estimate and may change."
This is one of those things that is extremely helpful for a sysadmin taking heat from employees looking for answers.
