Google kicked off its annual I/O developer conference on Wednesday, June 28 in San Francisco, announcing a series of exciting new things, including a new media hub. The Google Nexus Q does not use Google TV, but comes as a limited and streamlined media player. It interfaces with Google Play, but lacks the numerous apps and services Google TV devices have to offer.
The orb-shaped Google Nexus Q comes with a $299 price tag, and allows users to connect it to their home theater or speaker system and access YouTube videos, movies, music, and TV on Google Play. Similarly to Apple's AirPlay feature, the Nexus Q also allows users to wirelessly stream media from an Android smartphone or tablet to the device.
Online Services
Google's Nexus Q media player is running a version of Android 4.0. However it is not a Google TV device. This means that it will not load Android apps or load services through the Google TV interface and stock Android. Instead, this player is limited to Google Play, apparently without being able to use apps outside of Google Play media and YouTube.
AirPlay-like Media Streaming
With the new media player, users can play music from an Android smartphone or tablet through Google Play, and stream YouTube videos from their device to the Nexus Q. Android enthusiasts have been waiting for this feature for a long time, and Google's Android platform now seems more in line with Apple devices. It is not yet certain whether the Nexus Q will be able to flawlessly stream local media from users' Android devices, but if not, users may still be able to stream audio from their mobile devices to the player directly via Bluetooth.
Connections
The Nexus Q does have an upside when it comes to connections. It comes with a built-in 25-watt amp and analog audio ports that support banana plugs, allowing users to plug the device directly into a stereo speaker set. In addition, Google's new media player also supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC (near-field communication), providing users with multiple options to connect devices and transfer media to the Nexus Q's 16GB onboard storage.
There are still a lot of blanks that need to be filled when it comes to the new Google Nexus Q, and it remains to be seen whether it works well as a media hub. So far it seems like an interesting gadget, with several minuses compared to Google TV, but also with a significantly lower price tag. "The first social streaming media player," as Google calls it, is available via the Google Play Store and will start shipping in mid-July.
