According to a fresh report published today; Google is planning a Nexus Q sequel, an Android powered gaming console and a smartwatch. We've got more details right after the break.
If you happened to walk into a store and saw the Nexus Q sitting on the shelf for sale, you might want to consult a salesperson to actually find out what the elegant black orb does. Unlike smartphones or tablets that lend their visuals to their functionality, or the Apple TV unit that gives away its function in the name, the Nexus Q is a visual enigma that hasn't really gotten the consumer technology world convinced.
Announced at Google I/O last month alongside Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q is the sort of gadgetry that has, so far, left most of us wondering, “Why, Google?” It has the innards of an Android smartphone, and strictly requires an Android device to work. All it does is stream TV shows, movies and music from the Google Play Store and videos from YouTube. It doesn’t even work on its own as you need an Android smartphone / tablet to control it. To top it off, it costs $299 which is simply unreasonable for a device with such a limited feature set.
The Nexus Q is one heck of a weird gadget. The "social streaming" thingamajig has the heart of a Android smartphone with it's dual core processor, powerful graphics 16GB flash storage and 1GB RAM, but the features of a severely crippled Apple TV. It is somewhat similar to the Apple TV in that it can stream content using an Android smartphone or tablet as a remote (Apple TV does this with mobile iOS device or a Mountain Lion based Mac), but the problem is that it costs nearly thrice as much, streams content only from Google Play’s limited library and YouTube and can't even be used without an Android device. The gadget has received mixed reviews so far.
Following quite a few rumors suggesting that Google had some sort of TV/entertainment device up its sleeve, the Nexus Q - touted as a "social streaming media player", has now been officially announced at the big Google I/O event today. The Nexus Q is described as a device that can stream all of your content from Google Play - which includes an assortment of HD movies and TV shows - and YouTube, along with your own content to your living room screen and speakers.