Google Reveals the Cr-48, the First Ever Chrome OS Laptop!

Google has announced its first Chrome OS laptop called the Cr-48! This laptop is currently unbranded and will be distributed through its Chrome OS Pilot Program. This is sort of a public beta, but Googe is most likely interested in businesses which will provide feedback back to Google and comment on it's quality. There doesnt seem to be a way to pay for one now though.

The current specs for this laptop are:

• 12.1-inch screen.
• Full size keyboard.
• Oversized clickpad.
• Qualcomm Gobi 3G chip for Verizon data in the US, your carrier of choice internationally.
• 802.11n dual-band WiFi.
• 8+ hours of active use.
• 8+ days of standby.
• Webcam.
• Flash storage.

The Chrome OS is basically just web applications that were aimed for simplicity
and it doesn't seem to have any function keys, but a full row of Apple-Keyboard style actions. The capslock key has been replaced with a search button. This laptop is assuming to be not that big of a deal yet because it hasn't even been branded yet, but it will improve. Even though it is still in beta stages, is is currently being worked on. Although people might think this laptop isn't that great, I say it's pure awesomeness.

Google Introduces Nexus S Along with Android 2.3 Gingerbread !

Google today has announced the long waited Nexus S along with their new Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The new version of Android brings some new amazing features as rich multimedia — including support for VP8 and WebM video and new audio effects, support for front-facing cameras, SIP/VoIP and Near Field Communication (NFC), Enhancements for game developers, including new sensor types, Faster, more intuitive text input, one-touch word select and copy / paste, improved power management, control over applications, and new ways of communicating, and organizing.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread should be rolling out for Nexus One users. We will update the post with official OTA download link as soon as it is available for public.

The Nexus S is really the Android phone you've been waiting for since it comes with lots of specs, clean installation of Android OS, microUSB, Bluetooth, a really big battery, high camera resolution (5 mpx), and more and more! Here's all the features & specs of the new Nexus S Android phone.

SPECS & FEATURES
Connectivity

• Quad-band GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• Tri-band HSPA: 900, 2100, 1700
• HSPA type: HSDPA (7.2Mbps) HSUPA (5.76Mbps)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 n/b/g
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Near Field Communication (NFC)
• Assisted GPS (A-GPS)
• microUSB 2.0

Display

• 4.0" WVGA (480x800)
• Contour Display with curved glass screen
• Super AMOLED
• 235 ppi
• Capacitive touch sensor
• Anti-fingerprint display coating

Size and weight

• 63mm x 123.9mm x 10.88mm
• 129g

Hardware

• Haptic feedback vibration
• Three-axis gyroscope
• Accelerometer
• Digital compass
• Proximity sensor
• Light sensor

Processor and memory

• 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor
• 16GB iNAND flash memory

Cameras and multimedia

• Back-facing: 5 megapixels (2560x1920)
• 720 x 480 video resolution
• H.264, H.263 MPEG4 video recording
• Auto focus
• Flash
• Front-facing: VGA (640x480)
• 3.5mm, 4-conductor headset jack
• (stereo audio plus microphone)
• Earpiece and microphone
• Software noise-cancellation

Battery

• Talk time up to 6.7 hours on 3G
• (14 hours on 2G)
• Standby time up to 17.8 days on 3G
• (29.7 days on 2G)
• 1500 mAH Lithum Ion

Software

• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Android Market
• Calendar
• Gmail
• Google Earth
• Google Maps with Navigation
• Google Search
• Google Talk
• Google Voice
• Voice Actions
• YouTube

VIDEOS
Also take a look at the videos below showing the phone in action along with the new version of Android:

PRICES & AVAILABILITY
According to the official Google Blog, Nexus S will be available after December 16 for purchase online or at Best Buy stores in the U.S, at the Carphone Warehouse or Best Buy retail stores in the U.K.

In U.S.The phone will be available unlocked for $529 or with a T-Mobile two-year contract service for $199. In U.K., at £35 with contract, and £549 for the unlocked one.

Chrome OS Devices Coming by End of November

You read it right! Google's Chrome OS is nearly finished and ready to be pushed to the masses. This OS is planned to work on a device slightly smaller than a notebook that has internals of smarthphone. The first mobile devices using Google Chrome OS are set to be launched by the end of this month, according to DigiTimes.

According to another report from CNET, the Chrome OS devices won't be sold in through retails but it would be sold by the way Nexus one was sold. When the Nexus one was launched, it was started to be sold through Google's own website and was a very open platform for developers to experiment on. Whatever the way will be, it will be another revolution in mobiles world. [via DigiTimes, CNET, Neowin.net]

Android Gingerbread Arrives at Google HQ [Video]

Yes that's right! The new version of Android will be named "Gingerbread", no more rumors. The folks over at Google have dished a few details on Gingerbread (Android 3.0). Although it's not officially announced, the name has been confirmed by a video uploaded on Youtube by AndroidDevs shows the Gingerbread statue arriving in a truck at Google’s HQ, being moved to the left of Froyo’s statue and then being erected by Google employees.

What about the new features included in this Gingerbread? Well, earlier this month, Android chief and vice president of engineering explained:

"More forms of communication. I think social media is a form of communication," Rubin said. "I think you would just talk about general improvements to the platform and make it faster and more robust. I think gaming is an area that I think is underserved right now. We're actually going through a reinvention of casual gaming. If you look at a console game like an XBOX or a PlayStation or a Nintendo, I think it's very, "sit down and try to get to the maximum level possible." On cell phones and devices that are battery operated, I think there's more kind of "what do you do in between the times when you're doing something?" It's more about running a game to fill time rather than running a game to be a dedicated event."

Let's move to the video, watch Google employs confirming Gingerbread:

Logitech Revue with Google TV Coming This Month for $299

I think this is going to change everything! Two days ago, we broke the news about Google TV's min-website to introduce the all-new Google TV which will beat Apple's one. Today, Logitech's Revue Google TV box (with 1.2Ghz Intel Atom CE4100 processor) is now available for pre-order for $299, unveiling a bunch of new features. If you pre-order today, you will get by the end of the month, Sept. 29 to be exact.

Logitech Revue comes with Google TV box, keyboard with integrated touch and directional pad, an HDMI cable, one IR blaster and a couple of AA batteries. Also other accessories are available for pre-orders including a $149 webcam and larget keyboard for $99.

The TV Cam features a Carl Zeiss lens and is designed for video chatting from the comfort of your living room (Other cameras won't work, because Logitech's Google TV camera has built-in hardware compression for the video). You will be able to video chat with any other Logitech camera

Content can also be pushed from your PC, allowing easy local streaming. It works with all codecs extensions as MP3, AAC, JPEG, MKV. Oh, as mentioned before, you can fling content from a phone to Google TV. About the apps, it will run Android-based apps which will be available from a Google TV market. All the apps demonstrated seemed pretty fast and fluid.

You can pre-order Logitech Revuew with Google TV for $299 and will be delivered to you on September 29th. Pre-order are available on the official website, go ahead, get a one (forget about Apple's TV) and tell us what you think? [via Engadget]

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• Google is Planning to Release 60x Faster Chrome 7 to Hit IE9 and Firefox 4

Google is Planning to Release 60x Faster Chrome 7 to Hit IE9 and Firefox 4

In case you are living under a rock and don't know yet, last week Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 9 beta with full hardware acceleration of all HTML5 content, improve canvas speed. Also Mozilla has released Firefox 4 beta last month with Panorama feature and more. So, Google is planning to Release Chrome 7 to hit back at IE9 and Firefox 4.

Well, Microsoft's IE9 is still in beta, so we can't judge on it now. According to Neowin, IE9 still wins in canvas speed demos but Chrome 7 is greatly improved over previous versions. Also, take in mind that Chrome 7 is in early stages and not released yet for non-developers but it promises to show up to 60 times speed improvement over the current version of Google Chrome. The new version picks the best API graphics with support for Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac OS and Linux.

This video was showed by Google in a series of demos, showing ranging from a aqurium to 3D walls of photos. The demo really shows what can you do with 2D accelerated APIs in chrome.

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Google Streaming Search with Google Instant

Google has formally released a new feature called "Google Instant" this morning in San Francisco, It's already rolling out, and many of you may be seeing it on Google now. Instant Google speeds up research suggesting.
The service, as usual, will come gradually over all Google users, it is now active in the U.S. in the coming weeks it will be valid in European countries.

Many users reported seeing the new Google Streaming feature which displays search results dynamically as users type in the search box, without the need to click the search button. you can see what I mean in the above video.

The system will work on most modern browser (Apple Safari , Google Chrome , Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer 8) for users with a Google Account.

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Google Is Creating its Music Store

As reported by Reuters, Google has already made arrangements with major record companies in view of the birth of a style iTunes Music Store . The Music Store Google should begin by next Christmas, in fact it will be a dangerous competition for iTunes, which now owns 70 % of the digital music market.

Record companies have not confirmed the news but they were enthusiastic , they say, Google's entry into the scene , which could open up new scenarios and rise up the price war to the cheap. [via appleinsider]

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Google Launches Chrome 6 on it's Second Birthday

Today, Google is celebrating the second birthday of it's Chrome web browser with the release of new stable version of Chrome. Google Chrome officially hits version 6 bringing and even cleaner and simpler user interface and increased speed and performance. Remember that it was just two years ago when Google surprised the world by announcing a new browser, and now they are in a real browser war.

The new version of Chrome brings form autofill features, means you don't have to type in again and again that ridiculously long email address you now regret choosing. It also brings extension and autofill synchronization, meaning that your autofill data will remain the same from desktop to laptop to notebook.

Download Chrome 6 for Windows / Mac / Linux

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Google Enhances Gmail With Intelligent Service "Inbox Priority"

Gmail introduces a minor revolution in the inbox. With the new "Inbox Priority" service which will refer you to the most important emails to read. We are suffering from spams, the bad offers to buy strange drugs, organized meetings with women or ask money for financial scams. Then there is a lot of spams but there is an email we want to read it first.

For this reason, Google decide to make intelligent Gamil service. The box will sort the emails according to priority. The intelligent system will detect with the passage of time which emails that interest you based on reading preferences.

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Google Launches "Google Beat", A Video Series About Hottest Searches on Google

Google has just launched a new weekly video series called "Google Beat". It's a series of videos telling you the hottest searches on Google in U.S. The series will run on it's own Youtube Channel. The feature uses data from Google Trends, Google Insights for Search and other Google analytics tools.

Every day, there are more than a billion searches for information on Google. Have you ever wondered what those searches are about—or whether what you’re searching for also happens to be on the minds of millions of others across the country? We’re introducing a new way to find out—a regular video series called the Google Beat that highlights some of the hottest searches on Google in the U.S.

Here's a small episode of the Google Beat:

[via GoogleBlog]

Google is Testing Centered Layout?

According to Google System blog post, users are reporting that they begun to see a centered Google layout for search results pages, the same as Yahoo but with a top navigation bar and better search results!

This tests may be related to Google live search results know by "As You Type" that adjusts the results as you type your keyword in the search box.

Google Introduces Gmail Voice Calls, Free to US and Canada

Rumors have been saying this last night, but Google makes it official and introduces Voice Calls in Gmail. Now phone calls is an option in the web-based Google's mail, it's fairly cheap, it ranges between $0.02 and $0.19 a minute and free to US and Canada!

Google announced that you'll be able to make calls to US and Canada completely free of charge. You'll be able to buy prepaid credits using Google Checkout for international landline calling at $0.02 a minute and up to $0.19 for calls to international mobile device.

Calls to the U.S. and Canada will be free for at least the rest of the year and calls to other countries will be billed at our very low rates. We worked hard to make these rates really cheap (see comparison table) with calls to the U.K., France, Germany, China, Japan—and many more countries—for as little as $0.02 per minute.

Incoming calls pop up as a chat window in Gmail and you press a "Call phone" button that appears near the top of the Chat window to send an outbound call, Also you can copy and paste numbers or tap them in manually! Much better now? Try it and tell us.

Google Images Search Brings “More Sizes” for an Image

Google Images Search lets you find “More Sizes” for an image you search for, Now, when you search for an image, hover on it, you will find a new option called "more sizes" that lets you find more sizes of the same images you searched for. This feature was launched by Bing in March, and now by Google Images Search!

After clicking on "More Sizes" option, you will be navigated to a new search results page showing you the same version of the image with new sizes,

This feature may be useful for some people to find the high quality version of the image you search for! "More Sizes" option don't appear for all images, only for images who have more sizes of the same version! [via GoogleSystem]

Google is Testing Live Updating Search Results? [As You Type]

According to TechCrunch, Google is testing live updating search results or as known by as you type search results, this search is about you write something in the search box and the results appear immediately while typing (Live Search), By changing and adding words in search box, search results change!

Here's the video to see it in action,

This story was discovered by Rob Ousbey at first and confirmed to TechCrunch that Google is testing this new feature right now and will be available as soon as it's done! The interesting thing is how fast the results appear! Stay Tuned and we will keep you informed about this feature.

Gmail Voice and Video Chat for Linux / Ubuntu

Now, Google adds voice and video chat to Gmail for Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux users! To get started you have to download a plugin (downloads at the end) and install it then it will work as Google Talk on your Gmail, iGoogle, or orkut with voice and video chat!

As announced it will support RPM soon, you can download the plugin from the link below and have fun with video and voice chat,

Download Google Voice and Video Chat for Linux

Google Releases Picasa 3.8 with Face Movies and More!

Today, Google has updated their photo editing software application "Picasa", with a lot of cool and new feature but the best out their is Face Movies which create a movie based around one person! not only that, but they also integrated Picnik (which is an online photo editor) to Picasa to give us an awesome Picasa 3.8 from Google!

Here's the description of the updates in the new version,

Face Movies
Create a movie based around one person both figuratively and literally. Instead of the usual transition from one photo to the next, the images align themselves to the face in the photo. This creates an extremely smooth viewing experience which allows the person in the photos to remain the focus rather than the transition effects themselves. Check out the video below for an example of this in action.

Picnik integration
A few weeks ago we announced the integration of Picnik, the powerful online photo editor, into Picasa Web Albums. We’re now excited to bring this same functionality to Picasa. You can now use Picnik’s rich editing tools and effects from right inside of Picasa and see where your creativity takes you.

Batch upload from Picasa to Picasa WeWb Albums
With this new version of Picasa we’re also fulfilling a popular request: batch upload from Picasa right to your Picasa Web Albums account. In addition to uploading multiple photos, you can now upload entire albums, all at the same time, plus remove albums from your Picasa Web account, change the upload size, visibility and sync state of photos that are already online.

Metadata updates
For those of us who enjoy the technical side of photography, we have some nice metadata (information stored inside of your image file) updates too, including support of Color Management. Picasa will now read the metadata from your photo and present the photo in the correct color space, thus improving the way your photo displays on your monitor or TV screen.

Take a look on the FaceMovie video below from Picasa Web

You can download Picasa 3.8 from the link below for free, Picasa can upload photos up to 1GB and edit them for free on the web, just give it a try and you will like it,

Download Picasa 3.8 [Support Windows / Linux / Mac]

Google to Launch a Chrome OS Tablet in Market on November 26th

The title says it all! According to Download Squad, Google is going to launch a Chrome OS Tablet goes on Sale by November 26. it has been confirmed that Google is rolling out an HTC-built Chrome OS tablet with a Verizon data contract.

We're seeing 1280x720 multitouch display, 2GB of RAM, minimum 32GB SSD, WiFi / Bluetooth / 3G connectivity, GPS, webcam, and possibly expandable storage via a multi-card reader. So, is it an iPad killer or something like that? just stay tuned!

Google Announces Simplified Gmail Contacts Today

In a new blog post, Google announces that an overhauled version of Gmail Contacts will be rolling out today due to feedback from Gmail users, Google wants Gmail users to feel more comfortable with using contacts so it added a group of features to Gmail, including Keyboard shortcuts which help people a lot and other new features shown below,

• Keyboard shortcuts (go to Contacts and hit "?" for the full list)
• Sort by last name (look under "More actions")
• Custom labels for phone numbers and other fields
• The ability to undo changes you've just made
• Automatic saving
• Structured name fields, so you can adjust titles, suffixes, and other name components
• A bigger, more prominent notes field

Here's the first part from Gmail blog post,

We're constantly reviewing user feedback about Gmail, and for a while now the number one request has been for a better contacts experience. You’ve asked us to generally make Contacts easier to use, as well as for specific improvements like sorting by last name, keyboard shortcuts, and custom labels for phone numbers. So, by popular request, we're happy to announce that an overhauled version of Gmail Contacts will be rolling out today.

Also, the layout is much improved. The new Gmail contacts is available for some users and will be available to all users lately today!

Google Opens Slide.com as a Social Technology Company

Two days ago, we reported that Google is going to buy Slide.com for $180 Million on Friday, and it's already Friday. Google has already bought Slide.com and opened it as a Social and Technology site which leads to a new web.

Slide.com is using a lot of platforms to work on as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Blogger and more to give people more and better tools to communicate and connect, check it your self here and we are waiting for your thoughts in the comment section below.. [via Google]