Both Android Police and Phandroid say that they have received official confirmation that the Nexus Q was dropped from Google Play Music support. A Google liaison said that, indeed, “the latest version of Google Play Music isn’t compatible with the Nexus Q.” Whether this officially spells the end for the media streamer is still anyone’s guess, but it sure seems that way.

Of course, we can’t be too surprised by this, as the Nexus Q quickly became a dud shortly after it was released. In fact, the device was already halted before it was officially launched, with people who pre-ordered the device getting it for free, while ongoing sales were stopped indefinitely.

The Nexus Q was then eventually removed from Google’s Nexus landing page, where the company highlights its line of Nexus devices. The Q was sadly missing from the bunch, making us all scratch our heads as to what Google’s plans were with the media streaming device. However, back in January, the Nexus Q was discovered as no longer available in the Google Play store, pretty much all but confirming that the device has seen its death.

Then again, we knew the Nexus Q was going to be a disaster right from the beginning — it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Nexus Q wasn’t going to be a hint. It was an interesting concept, and the device is beautifully designed, but the need for it wasn’t really there, and it simply offered an alternative to other already-established media streaming solutions.

SOURCE: Android Police and Phandroid

The Google Nexus 4 is a smartphone that’s easily one of the pure Google Nexus lines’ most successful. Up until just the past couple of weeks, the Nexus 4 smartphone itself has been a toss-up for availability while the T-Mobile edition (essentially the same model, sold by T-Mobile), went low on stock this past week due to a massive sale price on-contract. Now the wireless charging abilities of this device can continue that sell-out action with a whole new accessory.

This is one of a collection of devices out on the market now that uses the Qi standard for wireless charging, this being not all that different from what we saw most recently in the Nokia Lumia 920 and the HTC DROID DNA. Both devices use the same technology and each device can be charged interchangeably. Just to be safe though, we’re sure each vendor will let you know you’ll want to pick up the charger made specifically for each smartphone – be cautious!

This Nexus 4 Wireless Charger has been put up for sale for $59.99 USD today in the US-based Google Play online store. This means that availability is at least near-ready for the USA and the whole world will be rolling with some wireless charging action in the very near future. This orb weighs in at 130g, by the way, and comes in any color you like – just so long as it’s black.

Also – fun fact: the app being used in the photos provided by Google above is called Battery Widget? Reborn! – an odd choice, to be sure, but interesting!

When Google stopped offering the Nexus Q half a year ago, the company said that it would take the player back to the drawing board after complaints that stated the price was too high for a device that ultimately didn’t do much. Perhaps the initial hope was that Google would be able to come up with some new functionality and quickly bring the Nexus Q back to market, but months went by without a new update from Google. In October, the company removed the Nexus Q from the Nexus landing page, apparently to make room for the new incoming devices, such as the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10.

The Nexus Q was never “officially” released, with Google pulling the plug on the project before it left the pre-order phase. Those who pre-ordered a Nexus Q received one for free, while everyone else was out of luck. Google similarly gave away the Nexus Q for free at Google I/O 2012, so despite the fact that there are a number of them floating around out there, it seems that Google didn’t receive payment for any of them.

Perhaps the Nexus Q’s fate will become more clear as we move deeper into 2013. It’s worth noting that the Google Play page for the Nexus Q is still up, so it’s possible that Google is still planning a comeback. Hopefully we find out more shortly, because to be honest, the suspense is killing us.

[via Ars Technica]

That way, you can browse via the convenience of your mobile device, but get the best viewing experience at the same time. The system allows multiple phones and tablets to be hooked up simultaneously, making for a shared playlist type system.

Funnily enough, that’s markedly similar to what Google’s short-lived Nexus Q STB promised to do, making communal video playback more straightforward. Google positioned the oddly spherical Nexus Q as a home entertainment hub – not quite a Google TV box, but something attempting to be slightly different – but the gadget met with confusion and the search giant froze sales shortly after.

The new YouTube app, meanwhile, has the potential to do everything the Nexus Q did, but also drive Google TV sales. The software works as a YouTube remote, too, with play/pause, scroll, and skip.

You can download the new app here, though you’ll obviously need a Google TV box in order to use the new remote queuing feature.

The device is still up in the Google Play store, but isn’t available for purchase, although there’s a “Notify Me” section that will let you know “when Nexus Q becomes available.” However, it could be that we’ll never hear from the Nexus Q again, since Google seems to be treating it as an afterthought at this point.

It looks like Google isn’t willing to share any information on the decision to nix the Q from its Nexus landing page, other than they “don’t have anything to share at this time.” The only Nexus devices making an appearance on Google’s main Nexus page are the new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices that were announced earlier this week, as well as the Nexus 7, which received an upgrade to 32GB and 3G capabilities earlier this week as well.

For those users who were looking forward to the Nexus Q’s capabilities, it’s certainly a sad thing to see the device slowly fading into the dust. We even saw great promise in the device when we reviewed it a couple months back, so we’re sad to see it go ourselves, but it looks like Google is focusing more on the device that it knows will get a lot of attention in the future.

[via Engadget]

Though it’s been a wild ride already, so to speak, feedback to Google on the abilities of the Nexus Q do not appear to have been favorable enough to continue with the device as it stands today. And Google, being the undeniably rich and transformable company that it is today, has decided to take a rather unique set of moves in response. Have a peek at the message being sent out to those who pre-ordered the device prior to its release:

“We have an important update about your Nexus Q pre-order.

When we announced Nexus Q at Google I/O, we gave away devices to attendees for an early preview. The industrial design and hardware were met with great enthusiasm. We also heard initial feedback from users that they want Nexus Q to do even more than it does today. In response, we have decided to postpone the consumer launch of Nexus Q while we work on making it even better.

To thank you for your early interest, we’d like to extend the Nexus Q preview to our pre-order customers and send you a free device. If you had other items in your order, your credit card will be charged for those items only.

Your Nexus Q will be on its way soon and you will receive a notification and tracking number from Google Play when it ships.

The Nexus Q Team”

We’re expecting that this means that not only will the Nexus Q be coming back in the future as a cheaper device, it’ll be back with more abilities as well. Have a peek at our Nexus Q full review to see what this device, now called a “preview device”, can do. Also note that the Nexus Q and all related accessories have been removed from the Google Play store today.

Check out the column called Nexus Q: Google’s big I/O Mistake as well while you’re at it.

The first video is an all-inclusive video list that keeps in tune with all things Android that went down at Google I/O. These are the videos that you did not see in the live streaming events during the week, instead concentrating on the events that went on behind the scenes and off-camera. That is to say off-camera until now, of course.

For those of you that want to hit up a slightly smaller category, you’ve got the following three to utilize, each of these having a playlist of their own:
• Design
• Develop
• Distribute

You’ll also be able to follow the rest of our Google I/O 2012 coverage through out giant I/O 2012 portal, and be sure to check out the devices that were released at the events as well: We’ve got full reviews of the Nexus 7 tablet and the Nexus Q media streamer, and of course Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, ready for your perusal!

[via Google Developers Blog]

That opens up a world of possibilities for the device, so much so that everything seems to be working with minimal effort. Games seem to run without any issues, assuming you connect a wireless mouse and keyboard, and popular apps like Netflix also run, streaming HD video through the Q without much trouble.

The Nexus Q doesn’t ship with a browser, although users have managed to push the normal Android browser as well as Chrome over to the device. After that, you can even compile and install Flash and have the full web at your fingertips, with the 1.2Ghz dual-core processor handling it all with aplomb. With a little bit of effort, the Nexus Q is a versatile little media center, but the price is still a little high at $299.

If you’re curious to know more, check out the embedded video below, and also head on over to xda-developers to read the instructions for how to get everything working. If you were on the fence about ordering a Nexus Q, maybe this will change your mind.

[via IntoMobile]

Featured: Here are some of this week’s featured articles:
Dead Trigger THD zombie-killing FPS hands-on
Is the Retina Display worth paying more for Apple products?
Droid Incredible 4G LTE review is now live
Jabra Supreme UC bluetooth headset review
Amazing Spider-Man product placement makes us giggle
The Amazing Spider-Man movie: Dennis Leary talks Captain Stacy, slightly censored
Brick and Mortars are in trouble but they can’t (and won’t) die
Google Nexus Q review
Don’t doubt Google’s people skills

Other Stuff: So here’s some other stories that made waves this past week:  Here’s something that’s pretty interesting – Apple Surface a possibility says Bill Gates.And moving right along from smartphones to tablets, Apple has an interesting challenge ahead of itself – Apple fights hard for iPad3.com domain. And finally, in other Apple news – Apple may be changing its in-store Genius Bar.

What you’re about to witness is Cory Gunther of Android Community having an 8+ minute look at the Google Nexus 7 working specifically with the Google Now system embedded in the heart of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Those of you used to working with Siri, Vlingo, or any number of other voice-activated search software on your smartphone or tablet will be surprised at the response time here with Google Now on the Nexus 7.

Google Now’s response voice is what Google is calling the first natural-sounding voice for such systems on a mobile device, and this app ecosystem will be coming standard with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean builds. When you get your Nexus 7 straight from the Google Play store online, you’ll already have this functionality built in as well.

We’ve reviewed the Nexus 7 in-depth if you’d like to have a look and see if it’s all worth it, and don’t forget to check out the Nexus Q as well. Together they make a fabulous combination for whatever HDTV venue you’re working, living, or playing at!

Have a peek at the timeline below to see all kinds of Nexus 7 action as well!

Samsung has dropped a massive 75-inch television that’ll cost you a pretty penny to own: just $17k! AT&T have announced the Motorola Atrix HD for the future greatness of the big M. Lenovo is reportedly meeting with Microsoft to create a custom-made Windows Phone for the very near future.

The rumor of an Apple-flavored Project Glass has come up again. The Google Nexus Q has had a teardown complete with nearly all USA-made components. Apple is being sued in China over Siri.

And in ultra-strange-and-amazingly-fun news, we’ve got Nokia showing off Gotham City in 3D for those of you waiting for The Dark Knight Rises. It’s going to be amazing!

As you may have guessed, Google’s homegrown boast doesn’t necessarily encompass every component inside the spherical shell. Exactly which parts are US-made and which come from the traditional suspects in Asia is unclear, though the hefty outer casing – the lower half of which contributes almost 46-percent of the overall weight – is believed to have come from local suppliers.

A TI OMAP4460 chipset, NFC, 16GB of Samsung flash memory, 1GB of RAM and Texas Instruments TAS5713 25 watt digital audio power amp are all lurking inside. What there’s currently no sign of is the speculated ZigBee mesh connectivity which could allow the Nexus Q to one day be a home automation hub.

Overall, iFixit rates the Nexus Q eight out of ten for repair potential, scoring it highly for the disassembly process (though warning it’s all too easy to lose some of the numerous components) and the minimal use of glue or solder. However this isn’t something the casual tinkerer should crack open: the power supply, for instance, is quickly exposed, which could lead to a nasty shock.

More on the Nexus Q in our full review.

Hardware

It’s a two-pound beast, if you’re thinking about carrying it around, but since it’s designed to remain stationary – it doesn’t really matter how much it weighs. It’s also a sphere, or nearly a sphere, this allowing the Nexus Q to look and feel completely unique in a tech world saturated with rectangles and squares in the living room. The Nexus Q has a ring of LED lights around its center, this lovely display of color showing you the status of the device as well as indicating when its being touched.

The top half of the Nexus Q currently works as both a volume knob and a power on/off button, while the center hole near the top also acts as a light sensor – this and touch-responsiveness across the whole top half allow you to mute the device. The bottom has a rubbery stopper so that you’re not rolling about, and the back of the device has all manner of connection ports.

You’ll see on the back that you’ve got two ports for right and two for left for your audio, you’ve got an optical out port, Ethernet port, microHDMI port, and microUSB port. Below all of that you’ve got a power port which connects with the cord you’re given in the box. This unit also ships with a microHDMI to full-sized HDMI converter cord so you can use the whole thing right out of the box.

This device cannot be used on its own.

To activate the device – and to control it – you’ve got to download the Nexus Q app from the Google Play store with a device running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This minimum software requirement is sure to change rather quickly as it actually says that only Android 2.3 Gingerbread is required in the app’s description in the store, but for now, you’ll need a Galaxy Nexus (with the software upgrade) or a Nexus 7 tablet – which we’ve also reviewed in full here.

Actually connecting your Android smartphone or tablet to your Nexus Q is simple – it just requires that you have your Wi-fi connection’s password and that you enter it once (or twice if you’ve never set up your own device’s connection to the Wi-fi in your home). From there, you’ve got a near-instant connection between the Nexus Q and your Android device for playing YouTube, Google Play Music, and Google Play Movies – these are the only three apps that work with the Nexus Q at the moment (unless you want to hack.)

Software

There is no software – so to speak – unless you hack past the basic settings that the device comes with. What you use this device for, then, is a conduit between your Android device and your stereo or television. If you’ve got the Nexus Q hooked up to your television and are letting it sit without playing music or video, you’ll get a simple sleep screen with a collection of blue orbs spinning around one another in an organic pattern (as seen very briefly in the hands-on video above.)

If you do play some music from your Android smartphone or tablet, you’ll get a visualizer showing some spectacular colors and shapes representing the sound. If you play a video, you’ll get the video up on the screen – same goes for YouTube videos. The Nexus Q certainly does not mirror your device’s display – instead it shows a stream of media from your smartphone or tablet that’s controlled by your smartphone or tablet.

We’ve had an amazing experience with connection speed and playback with the applications that work with the Nexux Q thus far. Audio sounds fabulous in every way, be it through your HDMI connection alone or through the audio ports provided. The video, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be tuned quite as well as it could be just yet.

Above: While you’ve got something playing via your smartphone or tablet, your Notifications window lets you know – this notification then links back to the player it associates with.

The word “murky” comes to mind with video playback – but just a bit. The blacks are just a bit too overzealous in taking over the screen while the other colors seem to be quite ready to take a dip. Playing streaming video worked perfectly well, with no hiccups other than when our actual web connection failed – with no fault of Google’s at play. Playing video from our device’s own memory worked similarly well, with a slightly too-dark image but perfectly quick playback speed.

The software is fairly straightforward when it comes to working on your device, with a little Play icon appearing at the top of YouTube, Google Movies, and Google Music once the Nexus Q software was installed – tapping once makes your interface Blue and active, tapping again turns it Gray and no longer connects to the Nexus Q.

Adding more than one device to one Nexus Q is a bit more of a challenge, as once the Galaxy Nexus was connected to the Q it took a couple tries to make the Nexus 7 connect as well, but it’s nothing a tiny bit of troubleshooting didn’t fix.

Wrap-Up

The Nexus Q is an absolutely gorgeous looking device, and one that’ll be sought after long after it’s been left for dead by Google in the future. But know this: that’s a long, long time away from now. Google will hopefully take the capabilities of this system and embrace them wholly, because the Nexus Q is exactly what Google needs to bring the public’s perception of Android to the nexus level. With this device you’ve got an Apple TV for nearly every single Android device on the market, and since it is a Nexus device, Google has in so many words encouraged us to hack it.

Once the floodgates open, the Nexus Q will be capable of so very many things that it’ll be on every developer’s holiday season wish list without a doubt. The device feels great physically, only has a few software-related issues here before its big launch, and will be ready to entertain for many years to come. Will people buy it at $299? That’s a different story entirely. Is it worth $299 from our perspective? If you’re the sort of person who spent $199 on your smartphone and $499 on your tablet when you bought them both in the past year, then yes, the Nexus Q is worth every penny.

Gizmodo has led the charge in questioning Google’s social skills, wondering out loud whether Googlers are in fact “still building for robots” and demonstrate “a gaping disconnect between the way data geeks and the rest of us see the world.” I’ll admit, watching the live stream of the IO opening keynote, I caught myself wondering exactly how much of what was being shown I’d ever actually use myself.

There were, by general consensus, three questionable areas: Google+ Events, the Nexus Q, and Google Glass.

Events are, certainly, only useful to you if your social network is also on Google+. The platform’s popularity among geeks and early-adopters of a certain inclination – usually orbiting around disliking Facebook and showing various degrees of Twitter apathy – has meant it’s a good place to make new friends (as long as you like, well, geeks and early-adopters of a certain inclination) but not generally a place to find existing ones.

That’s something Google needs to address, and adding Events is a relatively easy, low-cost way of doing. Think about it: if you get an email notification saying that someone you know has invited you to a party, and you need to sign into Google+ in order to read and respond to it, you’re probably more likely to do so than if you simply see “+You” at the top of the Google homepage. It’s evidence of an existing relationship: you won’t just be wandering into a room full of strangers.

On top of that, you have the contentious – and awfully named – Party Mode, something that perhaps most won’t use but which might find a little favor among the geekier users. Again, the key part is that you don’t have to use Party Mode in order to get value out of Google+ Events; Google just added it in so that, if you want, you can better document your gathering in the same place you organized it beforehand.

Then there’s the Nexus Q. Google’s launch demonstration for the Android-based streaming orb was an awkward low-point of the keynote, spending too long on the obvious – okay, it gives you a shared playlist on multiple devices, we get it – and not enough time putting it into context with Google’s future plans and other platforms like Google TV. Again, though, it’s a first step in a process, that process being the journey of a perfectly standard home streamer and Sonos alternative.

On that level, there are some advantages. Yes, you might not necessarily sit around with friends each tapping at your Nexus 7 to put together the very best playlist ever created, but if it’s a lot better set up to handle impromptu control than, say, Sonos is. Communal control with Sonos is a difficult one: do you ask everyone to download the Sonos controller app, then pair them with your network, or do you leave your iPad or iPhone unlocked (complete with access to your email, bookmarks, documents, etc…) so that they can dip into your music collection? Or, do you have a special device solely for party controller use?

In the longer term, though, Google’s motivation is the Nexus Q as a gateway to your TV screen. That’s what, if you recall, Google TV was meant to be – a way to expand Google’s advertising visibility from the desktop browser, smartphones and tablets, to the big-screen in your lounge – but stumbles and hiccups scuppered those plans. One of the most common complaints of first-gen Google TV was simply how complex it was; in contrast, the Nexus Q looks stunning, and concentrates on doing (at the moment) just a little. But, as a headless Android phone, there’s huge potential for what it could be next – console, video streamer for Netflix and Hulu, video conferencing system – after Google has got its collective hands on your HDMI input.

Of the three, though, it’s Google Glass that’s the hardest sell to the regular user. That’s not because it’s difficult to envisage uses for, but because of the price. Still, it’s not for the end-user yet: Google has given itself eighteen months or more to reach that audience, and who knows what battery, processor, wireless and design advantages we’ll have by then?

Aspects developed on Glass will undoubtedly show up in Android on phones, and again, the mass market benefits. There are certainly elements of persistent connection and mediated reality that apply even in devices without wearable displays. If anything, Glass is the clearest demonstration of Google’s two-tier structure: one level for regular people, and another for the geeks and tinkerers. The regular crowd eventually benefit from what the geeks come up with, as it filters down, has its rough edges polished away, and becomes refined for the mass-market.

“Google is a monolithic company, sure, but it’s filled with geniuses who want to make your life easier through technology” is how Gizmodo sees the IO announcements: having intentions that are fundamentally altruistic but misguided. In reality, everything Google showed has its roots in business and platform extension.

Google isn’t Apple, it doesn’t push a one-size-fits-all agenda. That’s not necessarily a bad approach, mind; Apple’s software is consistent and approachable, doesn’t suffer the same fragmentation issues as, say, Android does, and means that iOS devices generally do what’s promised on the tin. What Google knows is its audience or, more accurately, audiences, and so everything at IO was stacked in different levels to suit those varying needs. Some people don’t want to be limited by the ingredients on the side, they want to mix up their own meal, and IO is all about fueling that. Sometimes it takes a little more time to think through the consequences – and sometimes Google does a shoddy job of helping explain them – but there’s most definitely a market out there for them.

At $299 the Nexus Q is, as many have observed, not a cheap device, and while Google has made much of its “designed and made in the USA” credentials, it’s a strategy that’s at odds with the “cut the costs” approach of the Nexus 7. If Google’s target is Sonos – admittedly audio-only – then it failed to demonstrate how a multi-zone Nexus Q setup would play out. If it’s a challenge to Apple TV, however, then it’s difficult to see how Google can justify charging three times the amount.

The biggest frustration is that the Nexus Q is already obviously capable of much, much more. Within hours of having access to the first units, Android developers have already managed to get games running, turning the Q into an open-source console of sorts. That’s just the start of things, no doubt; efforts are already underway to unlock what is, behind the curvaceous shell, a Galaxy Nexus without a display.

Google Nexus Q hands-on:

Now, it would’ve been premature for Google to reveal all of its future plans for the Nexus Q, but it did the device a disservice with a presentation that failed to dress the orb in suitable context. The Jelly Bean message was clear: the OS runs faster and smoother than Ice Cream Sandwich, brings a voice search Siri alternative, and tackles fragmentation with the promise of earlier access for new versions for manufacturers. The Nexus 7 news left nobody in any confusion as to the tablet’s selling points; even the Google Glass announcement, with exact details still in relatively short supply, did what it needed to.

For the Nexus Q, though, we had a fancy video in the style of Apple’s promos, an awkward and overly-long demonstration of how several people can manage a shared playlist, and little in the way of context. Even just promising “like Nexus phones, there’s hugely broad potential for the Nexus Q” could’ve been enough to prevent most of the post-keynote confusion.

Instead, the functionality and longer-term intentions were left vague, and without any mention of Google TV it was difficult to see how the two products are meant to sit together. That’s disappointing, after Google worked so hard to improve the latest iteration of its smart TV product; particularly if you’re Sony and Vizio, and announced second-gen Google TV boxes this week in the run-up to Google’s event. Hopefully, it means Google TV will have its moment in the spotlight today, albeit late, at the second day IO keynote.

Find out more about the Google Nexus Q in our full hands-on.

Jelly Bean was the obvious inclusion, and Google balanced its enthusiasm about the new Android version from a technological perspective – with encrypted apps and the perfectly named “Project Butter” for smoothing out the UI – with features that will make more of a difference for end-users. The new notifications system should make a major difference to Android usability, meaning you spend less time jumping between apps, while the Google Voice Search should present an interesting challenge to Siri.

I’ll need to spend some proper time with “Google now” before I can decide whether it brings any real worth to the table. Proper understanding of context is sorely missing from the mobile device market- our handsets can do no shortage of tasks, but they still wait for us to instruct them – though there are potentially significant privacy concerns which I think Google will likely be picked up on sooner rather than later.

The Nexus 7 is a double-hitter of a device, the tablet response not only to concerns that Android developers were opting out of slate-scale app creation, but to Amazon’s strongly-selling Kindle Fire. $200 is a very competitive price, without cutting on specifications, and Jelly Bean comes with all the bells and whistles you need for a tablet OS.

Of course, OS support wasn’t what let Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich down, it was the significant absence of any meaningful tablet application support from third-party developers. The Nexus 7′s low price should help get test units into coders’ hands, at least, though it will take more than a fanfare this week to decide whether Android can catch up on larger screen content with Apple’s iPad.

As for the Nexus Q, I’ll take some more convincing on that. $299 is a lot for a device that also needs an Android phone or tablet in order to work, and Google’s awkward presentation didn’t do a particularly good job of explaining why you’d rather have a Nexus Q than, say, an Apple TV, a Sonos system, or even just a cheap DLNA streamer.

The big surprise today was Google Glasses. Sergey Brin’s “surprise” interruption of the IO presentation, sporting Project Glass himself and then summoning a daredevil army of similarly-augmented skydivers, stunt bikers, abseilers and others onto the stage was a masterstroke of entertainment, and you could feel the enthusiasm and excitement in the auditorium. That the segment ended with a pre-order promise – albeit one at a not-inconsiderable $1,500 – was a suitably outlandish high-point, though we’ll have to wait until early 2013 to actually see Google make good on those investments.

Google Glasses are a long way off. More pressing is how the Nexus 7 holds up to the Kindle Fire (and, though it may not be quite a direct competitor, the iPad) and how quickly manufacturers can get Jelly Bean out to existing devices. Google may be putting a new system of early Android update access into place to speed that process for future iterations, but it looks to have come too late for Jelly Bean updates. We’ll have more from Google IO 2012 over the rest of the week.

Make sure to check out SlashGear’s Android hub for our full Google IO 2012 coverage!

Unboxing Nexus 7 and Nexus Q:

Christina Kelly, an Android app developer, has managed to get Swords and Soldiers to start on the device, although that’s apparently where the fun ends. The game won’t actually run, and even if it did, the lack of touch controls would put a damper on things pretty quickly. It does mean, however, that the Nexus Q is a flexible platform that developers can have some fun with.

The fact that the orb is running Android and has an architecture comparable to the Galaxy Nexus gives developers a lot of freedom, as well as the opportunity to explore the possibilities of the device. Kelly notes that while Google TV devices also run a version of Android, porting an app over to the platform is a difficult affair.

Google has dubbed the Nexus Q a social streaming media player. The orb can only be controlled using Android devices, with content streamed from Google’s content services via the cloud instead of across a local network. Users can also create social playlists, adding songs or videos to be queued up and played up the device. The Nexus Q doubles as a 25 watt amplifier that you can plug your speakers into, and plugs into your TV via HDMI.

You’ll see the following hands-on demo video working with the Nexus 7 tablet, another piece of equipment revealed by Google this year also as part of the Developer Pack. This device is made to be the perfect companion for Google Play and all of its many bits of media in a way that requires not only a speaker system, but another Android device as well.

What you’ve got here is a magical looking undeniably heavy little spherical device that’s got half a sphere dedicated to turning the volume up and down (as well as a few other functions) that’s accented with a bit of color-changing action as well. This device connects to a series of audio and video outputs including 4-channel speaker-system devices and 1080p HDMI devices as well. You’ll be able to have several devices adding songs or videos to a list or you can control the device with one device on its own.

The whole device has a capacitive touch sensor for muting as well as off/on, you’re working with a Texas Instruments OMAP4460 (dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and SGX540 graphics core) inside, and both 1GB LPDDR RAM and 16GB NAND flash memory under the hood.

Have a peek at the hands-on video and photos above and below and also check out our Google I/O 2012 portal for more Google developer action all week! Also hit up our Android portal for all kinds of developer news throughout the week and the future as well!

The orb-like gadget is part headless-phone – running Android, of course – and part Apple TV alternative, hooking up with HDMI to your TV and throwing in speaker connections too. It can be used as a media streamer, pulling in content from YouTube and other cloud stores such as Google’s new movie purchase system, as well as a communal jukebox of sorts, with a shared playlist accessible from Android devices. It’s priced at a hefty $299 and will ship in 2-3 weeks time in the US.

One such Android device that could control the Nexus Q is the Google Nexus 7. The tablet ticks all the spec-sheet boxes – it has a 1.2-megapixel front camera, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, 8GB/16GB of internal storage and 1GB of RAM, all in a 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm form factor weighing 340g – but comes in at $199 for the entry-level model.

The 4325 mAh battery is good for up to 8hrs of use, Google claims, and there’s a microphone, NFC, accelerometer, magnetometer, GPS and a gyroscope. Interestingly, it runs Chrome for Android as the default browser, and comes with a specially updated version of Currents.

Standby for hands-on content with both new Nexus devices!

That’s a total of $847 worth of technology for each developer in attendance, and considering they only paid $800 for an IO ticket it seems a pretty excellent deal. Unfortunately there’s no Project Glass in that gift bundle, though Google will be offering developers in-attendance the opportunity to preorder the Explorer Edition for $1,500.

When developers turn on their Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 tablet, meanwhile, they’ll get an update to Jelly Bean pushed to them within a few minutes. The Jelly Bean SDK is available today for all developers, meanwhile.

If you’re not at Google IO, and you want a new toy, the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus is now discounted to $349. Meanwhile, the Nexus 7 is up for preorder for $199, while the Nexus Q is up for preorder from $299.

Unboxing Nexus 7 and Nexus Q

This interaction isn’t limited to your own Android smartphone or tablet. By this we mean that your friends can interact with your Nexus Q with their Android smartphone or tablet as well. For instance, they can send music from their playlist directly to your Nexus Q or grab a movie off your Nexus Q onto their smartphone.

The Nexus Q is always connected to the cloud and can pull content directly from Google Play. When you interact with it using your smartphone or tablet, the media played is actually pulled directly from the cloud rather than from each device. It can stream music, movies, and TV shows from Google Play and YouTube and is being touted as the first social media streaming device.

It also features a built-in high quality audio grade amplifier at 25-watts which is plenty to fill a room with crisp clear sound. It’s powered by the same OMAP 4460 chip used in the Galaxy Nexus and features 1080p video support, dual-band WiFi, Ethernet, and a micro USB port.

The device will be available in July for purchase directly from Google Play. It is priced at $299 and is available for pre-order today.

This system can also connect to your HDTV and transmit your data wirelessly from Google Play. The content comes from the cloud, your Android smartphone or tablet works like a controller. All of your systems are connected to Google Play, and it all works, again, completely wirelessly – save for the connection between the Nexus Q and your television.

Google has also released a video of the system in play here:

Check out the gallery below for more information on the Nexus Q and check out our Nexus Q portal as well – and stick around all week at our I/O 2012 portal and our Android portal too!

The Nexus Q streams music, video, and YouTube from Google’s various content services. In addition, it allows users to create their own social playlists to send to the streamer and to share amongst friends. Not only that, but the device serves as a 25-watt amplifier, so you can plug in your own speakers and get some improved audio from the black orb.

The device is running Ice Cream Sandwich, and comes with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. WiFI b/g/n, Bluetooth, and NFC are all onboard, and it can be controlled via a capactive touch sensor found on the front. You’ll need an Android phone or tablet connected to the same WiFI network as the Nexus Q to control everything, and it’ll set you back $299. The Play Store indicates that it’ll start shipping in two to three weeks.

[via The Verge]