All you need to do is follow @googlenexus and solve the puzzles for the day. You are limited to one guess per entry, submitting multiple guesses won’t work since your very Google will only accept your first submission.

The Google Nexus S contest is open to all legal residents of (where you need to be physically located at during the duration of the contest) in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Indonesia, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom or the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

Contest period is 12:00:00 A.M. Pacific Time (PT) Zone in the United States on April 28 2011 up to 11:59:59 P.M. PT on May 8 2011.

more info via the Official Challenge page, @googlenexus

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Here’s how +1 works

The +1 button will appear next to each search result

 

After pressing the +1 button, you have the option to undo the action immediately

More info available via this video:

+1′s will act like an addition to the “Social Circle and Content” section of the Google Dashboard as you’ll be able to see recommendations by people you are already connected to through Google (your chat buddies and contacts).

One requirement for using +1′s is that you need to be signed in to your Google Account with an active Google profile. Update your account using this link.

more info via GoogleBlog

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This feature is already available through plugins like Greasemonkey combined with user scripts to “block” specific sites from your search results page so it’s a welcome change to have Google implement it natively with their search page.

As soon as the update rolls out, when you do a search on Google and view the results, you’ll find a new link next to “Cached” that reads “Block all example.com results.” If you click this, you will be prompted with a confirmation message, indicating the block as well as the option to undo your choice.

Once you opted to block a domain, you’ll see this message:

To manage/edit/delete your list of blocked sites, you need to be signed in with your Google Account.

To view your list of blocked sites, you can either visit Search Settings or click on the “Manage blocked sites” link that appears whenever you block a domain.  On the settings page you can find details about the sites you’ve blocked, block new sites, or unblock sites if you’ve changed your mind.

Google says that for the moment, blocking a site will not affect it’s search ranking score but they will be looking at the data put into the service if it’s a feasible measure of site quality.  The new feature is rolling out today and tomorrow on google.com in English for people using Chrome 9+, IE8+ and Firefox 3.5+, and we’ll be expanding to new regions, languages and browsers soon.

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According to reports, as many as 500,000 Gmail users lost access to their inboxes with years worth of messages, attachments and Google Chat logs down the drain.  That’s quite a loss if you’re using gmail as your primary storage for information and whatnot.

According to Google, there’s a bug in gmail’s codebase that reset some accounts, treating their owners as new users, even displaying welcome messages.  The company says the issue “affects less than .29% of the Google Mail userbase,” and of course engineers are working to fix the issue.

source: Gmail Help Forum, Google Mail Status Dashboard

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What does Google Mail Web Clips actually display?  As mentioned earlier, Web clips auto-rotates content as you’re browsing your gmail account, displaying contents from RSS feeds, Google Ads, Gmail tips, and custom contents.

Luckily, google has given users the options of customizing what Web Clips display.  You can either select which type of information Web Clips displays be it contents from RSS feeds, news sources, or other headlines or simply disable and remove it completely.  Here’s how:

1. Login to Gmail.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Go to Web Clips tab.
4. Unselect (untick) the check box for Show my web clips above the Inbox option.
5. The line for web clips will be removed and hidden instantly.

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• 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.

And here are some gratuitous images of the Chrome OS laptop. Take a good look at the mac-ish-ly large touchpad!

Where do you get one? Just ask, it seems, as Google is giving everyone (in the U.S.) over 18 a chance to try out the new operating system via the Chrome OS Pilot Program. All you need to do is send in your application, wait and hope to get picked and wait for the laptop Google will be lending you to arrive.

I’m kinda sad because earlier today, I got this email from Google indicating that I’m eligible to receive one. Too bad I don’t live in the U.S. so I’m automatically out.

If you’re interesting in participating, just sign up via the Chrome OS Pilot Program and wish yourself luck

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Android 2.3 Gingerbread introduces a slew of new user features that improve usability as well as a slew of interesting new features.

NFC (near field communication) hardware that lets you read information from NFC tags. NFC is a fast, versatile short-range wireless technology that can be embedded in all kinds of everyday objects like movie posters, stickers and t-shirts.

Gingerbread is the fastest version of Android yet, and it delivers a number of improvements, such as user interface refinements, NFC support, a new keyboard and text selection tool, Internet (VoIP/SIP) calling, improved copy/paste functionality and gyroscope sensor support.

You can read all about the changes via the Android 2.3 API.

Here’s Google’s introductory video for Gingerbread:

As for the platform’s new flagship phone?

Specifications for the Nexus S are as follows:

• 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor
• 16GB iNAND flash memory
• 4.0″ WVGA (480×800) Super AMOLED Contour Display
• 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
• Haptic feedback vibration
• Three-axis gyroscope
• Accelerometer
• Digital compass
• Proximity sensor
• Light sensor
• Back-facing: 5 megapixels (2560×1920)
• 720 x 480 video resolution
• H.264, H.263 MPEG4 video recording
• Flash
• Front-facing: VGA (640×480)
• 3.5mm, 4-conductor headset jack
  (stereo audio plus microphone)
• Earpiece and microphone
• Software noise-cancellation

Feature packed huh?

You can find more Nexus S videos and information at google.com/nexus.

The Nexus S will be available unlocked and with contract on T-mobile and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores in the U.S. starting December 16.  Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy retailers in the U.K. will be able to get their hands on the Nexus S starting December 20.

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So what exactly does the Priority Inbox do? As the name implies, it’s a sort of email segregation but it’s not just another implementation of tags, and stars (both of which already present in Gmail). Instead, it’s a visual segregation of your emails that will allow you to see which emails you need/want to prioritize in your inbox… hence the name

Here’s a video from the Google team for a complete overview:

Basically, you now how 3 areas for your mail. The top portion contains important emails which we refer to as Priority, the second portion is for Starred emails and the bottom is for the rest of your inbox. Smart eh? Of course if you’d rather have the old inbox, you can easily switch between the regular Inbox and the Priority Inbox via the links on the side panel of your Gmail interface.

Of course this is only available to users who use the online version of Gmail. Those of us behind Thunderbird or Apple Mail will have to rely on our user defined filters to segregate our emails but hey, it’s an interesting development. I’d love to see this implemented onto the Android platform. I’d have to deal with less clutter browsing email on my mobile .

Any thoughts on Gmail’s Prioity Inbox? Please do share it in the comments.

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Google announced the new feature in a blog post, and said that rich-text signatures had been one of the “most requested” features among Gmail users.

One caveat though, Mark Knichel, a Google software engineer says that only the latest desktop version of Gmail would support rich-text signatures. Older versions of Gmail, the simplified HTML version, and mobile Gmail, will continue to use plain text signatures.

source Gmail Blog

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Is it worth the wait?  Will your phone support the new update? Find out more after the jump

• Improved Speed – The new Dalvik JIT compiler for Android 2.2 is significantly (2x-5x) faster than the JIT used in 2.1.
• Better Enterprise Support – FroYo will include over 20 new enterprise features to appeal to the business-types like better Exchange support, with auto-discovery, improved security, and GAL lookup, and new device admin APIs.
• Cloud-to-Device API – Better syncing and support for more google services/products. Apps can utilize Android Cloud to Device Messaging to enable mobile alert, send to phone, and two-way push sync functionality
• Tethering — This was also a rumored feature for a few weeks. The feature will be in the “settings” menu, and clicking “portable wi-fi hotspot.”
• Improved Browser — The Javascript interpreter in Chrome will be used in FroYo’s native browser, offering a 2x-3x Javascript performance boost. Google’s Vic Gundotra said it will be the fastest mobile browser available.
• Install apps on SD memory – This one of the few reasons why you’ll want to root your phone in 2.1, in 2.2, the ability to choose where your apps are located (in your device’s memory or on your SD card) is now included.
• Flash 10.1 and AIR support – Announced before but still a welcome upgrade.
• Web-based Android Market – Upgrade for the Android App Store.
• App auto-updating – Apps you have installed will now have the option to be updated manually or automatically. No need to hunt the latest version in the marketplace from now on.
• Music Sync – Users will be able to sync their local music collection with their Android device and stream wirelessly.

Didn’t get all that? How about a video to help you understand things a bit better:

No final word as to when Google will be releasing the update but they assured us that they’ll be announcing this (the date) as well as a list of which mobile devices will be capable for upgrade to Android 2.2.

Personally, I’m quite happy that my Samsung Galaxy Spica has been updated to Android 2.1. Having it supported for Android 2.2 will really, really, really be the biggest boon for me (aside from getting the device for free of course).

[video found via YugaTech, info via Android Dev Blog]

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