Android 2.3

Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Google, posted a list of his favorite tips and tricks for Android 2.3 Gingerbread yesterday. These tips (along with some great app suggestions), will come in handy for new Android and Nexus S owners this holiday, as well as other device users that will be upgrading to the Gingerbread OS.

Android has had quite the year, so I'm betting there's a lot of you who could benefit from these little-known, or handy tricks in 2011. Check out a few of them below, then head over to The Official Google Blog for more!

• Voice actions — Tell your phone what to do by pressing the microphone icon next to the search box on the home screen, or long press the magnifying glass. You can tell it to send an email or text message (“send text to mom, see you for pizza at 7”), call someone ("call mom"), navigate somewhere (“navigate to pizza”), or listen to music ("listen to Mamma Mia").
• Quick replace — Tap on any previously typed word, then tap on a suggestion to automatically replace it with the suggested word.
• Look at Maps in 3D — With the latest release of Google Maps, you can now look at 3D maps. Tilt the map by sliding two fingers vertically up/down the screen, and rotate it by placing two fingers on the map and sliding in a circular motion, e.g., from 12 and six o’clock to three and nine o'clock.

See a few more after the break.

It's been a busy Monday for Google already, as the company officially announced the next version of its flagship Nexus One smartphone, called the Nexus S, which will be the first Android device to run Android 2.3 (codename: Gingerbread).

The Android-toting masses won't be able to download Gingerbread just yet — that honor will first be bestowed on the Nexus S, which will launch next week on Dec. 16 — however, the OS will come with some improved features to look forward to, including:

• Refined, faster, and easier to use user interface.
• Redesigned keyboard for faster text input and one-touch word selection along with copy/paste.
• Auto-shutdown of apps that drain power when left idle for too long.
• Access to multiple cameras on your device and easily toggle back and forth between them.
• Download manager that helps you organize and keep track of device downloads in one place.
• Supports gyroscopes and other sensors to improve 3D gaming on your device.

Get all the details on the brand-new Nexus S device after the break.

Google's Nexus One was put to death earlier this Summer, but rumors are swirling that the next-generation device could be coming as soon as Nov. 8 thanks to press conference invites coming from Google and Samsung. Inside sources say that the Nexus Two is also touting the latest Android 2.3 operating system (code name: "Gingerbread") and could be coming to multiple carriers soon.

However, conflicting reports say that the so-called "next Nexus One" won't be a Nexus-branded product at all and will instead be a new Samsung handset coming with an integrated Google experience.