Well, now we know that the Google Nexus One exists. Perhaps there really is a Santa Claus as well. This higher resolution picture is supposedly the Nexus One and is the talk of the internets.

Physically thisthe same as the HTC Passion, without the HTC logo on top. We hear ya, you can’t wait to give this Google Phone a try. We agree. They had us when they tweeted “Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android.”

Check out this awesome Google Chrome commercial. They are really on to something here the way they have unleashed this one. And of course we always suspected that behind the scenes, rubber bands and hammers and stuff all make the Google machine invincible.

It’s not only creative, but kinda informative as well. Most importantly it’s fun to watch. Google has taken over the rest of the world, so maybe artsy fartsy movies will be next. So let me ask you, does this clever commercial make you want to use Chrome even more, or not?

Looks like Google’s Chrome OS will be getting some support from Dell. The company is making an experimental version of the Chromium OS available for its Mini Inspiron 10v netbook. The OS will be available as a USB key image file, but they are warning users that it’s a risk since it has only gone through minimal testing.

Some of the current known problems include taking up to 10 minutes before the network connection manager can find wireless networks and other things freezing as well. The 8GB image can be transferred to a USB drive only by using a Linux system.

Sergey Brin says that “Android and Chrome will likely converge over time.” It’s unclear when this might occur though. In fact, Google CEO Eric Schmidt attempts to downplay the difference between Google’s operating systems in a recent CNET interview, which makes us wonder if Google has a clear idea of where this is going.

Schmidt prefers not to “prejudge the success” of each. “The future will unfold as it does,” he says, and the open-source community will determine the natural fit. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.

Google is doing just fine in the search business, so no one would blame them if they just left things as they were and kept raking in the dough. But it’s nice to see that the search giant is still paying attention to details and willing to try some new things.

Google’s vice president of search product and user experience recently stated that Google will soon begin testing of a new permanent sidebar on its results page. The new version allows you to narrow a search to specific categories, and is more attractive. Plus, the sidebar will be, conveniently and permanently displayed on the left side of the page.

We now have more details about the Google Chrome OS, which is a stripped-down Linux that should boot very quickly and launch a browser (Chrome). Everything that you do is web-based. Apparently users will have to buy a Chrome OS machine if they want it. Chrome will run on Intel and ARM processors.

According to Google it’s secure because the data is stored on a remote server, however if someone gets your password, well they have access to everything. They do say that Apps are more secure, because they have access to nothing, just like web apps on other OS.

Most people have dismissed the once rumored phone as being the Google Android operating system, but word on the street is that Google has an actual piece of hardware is in the works. Apparently Google has an actual phone in the works.

And apparently the Google Phone will be even more exciting than the Motorola Droid, which is really saying something. Google won’t manufacture the handset, but will rely on a major mobile company while Google is in full control of design and specifications.

Google has updated it’s Google Earth iPhone app. The updates come about a year after the original Google Earth iPhone App was released. Google Earth 2.0 will play nice with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the new version has a bunch of new features, like the ability to view maps that you create on your PC on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

That one should prove most convenient. Another feature is the updated icon selection, which makes it easier to use. When you touch an icon on the app it will glow, and if you touch more than one icon at once it will take you to a list of icons so you can select the right one.

Google’s Chrome first announced in July, will be available within a week. Google had previously said to expect an early version of the OS in the fall.

Driver support will probably be a weak point, but apparently Google has a legion of engineers working on building hardware drivers. Word is that Google is mostly relying on hardware manufacturers to create those drivers. In any event functioning drivers is important to Chrome OS’s success. Soon we will find out how well it works.

The holidays are here with Thanksgiving just a few weeks away. There will be millions of people across America traveling meaning that the airports will be packed. Google has announced that for the holiday season it will be giving travelers in some of the largest airports in the country free WiFi.

The free WiFi is available now through January 15 2010 in 47 different airports across the country. Some of the major airports include Las Vegas, San Jose, Boston, Baltimore, Burbank, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, St. Louis, and Charlotte.

Google has unveiled Maps Navigation (beta), an upgraded version of the current Maps software that will be free and apparently available on all Android 2.0 devices. You get all of the usual Maps features, along with being able to search by the name of a business and it will even suggest the closest matches and traffic data.

There’s also turn-by-turn navigation with a female robotic voice and integration with satellite and street view. Street view will be able to show you what lane you need to be in when exiting the highway, for instance. It will also now search along the route when you’re looking for gas stations or fast food. Some addresses can be added to the Android home screen as icons too.

The fine folks at google never stop working. Good thing too, because you and I always benefit. Google Voice has expanded its reach once again. This time to include voicemail support for your carrier-issued number, along with other features like online, searchable voicemail, free automated voicemail transcription, custom voicemail greetings for different callers, email and SMS notifications and affordable international calls.

Every carrier in the nation must be pissed. The real interesting thing about these new options is that your messages follow you no matter what, even if you switch carriers to get some hot new device.

Word is that Google is planning to launch a music service and according to sources quoted by TechCrunch, the company is securing content from major labels right now. One source calls the service “Google Audio”.

It’s unclear if this music platform will be download-based like iTunes, or streaming-based like Pandora, but apparently it will be available to “at least” the US. Google already has a music service in China that lets users download tracks for free, and it has a music search engine that can be accessed by typing “music:” before your query in the search box. However when you access a song that way they aren’t available to listen to.

Google has now started public testing by invitation only of Wave, a new online tool for communication and collaboration between people online. Wave has been described by its designer as what email would look like if it was invented today, and contains real-time communication through text, photos, video, maps and more according to Google.

The communication using the Wave tool is live somewhat like an instant messenger allowing users to see others edits as they make them, character by character. Should a users not be online at the same time, the communications will still be available to view at a later date, much like emails waiting in your inbox.

On Monday Google unveiled what they are calling a “next-generation infrastructure” for their web search, and they are asking the public to give it a try. The “secret” project has been underway for months according to a recent post on the Google Indexing blog, and is almost complete. According to the post, the new system “…will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions”.

Google has codenamed the new underlying search indexing “caffeine”, and is looking for the general public to give it a try and provide feedback in the way of differences between the new and old. The new indexing can be tried out at http://www2.sandbox.google.com/, where you can do a search and see if you can tell any difference in the results. According to the blog post from Google, they are only looking for feedback in differences at this time.