If you're in the UK and in the process of getting all worked up at the thought of the Nexus Q, we're going to stop you right there. Google has confirmed that the Nexus Q media streaming device is not going to be landing in British living rooms anytime soon. Specifically, Stephen Rosenthal, communications and public affairs manager for Google UK is quoted as telling Pocket-Lint "there are no plans as yet" when questioned about a UK launch.
Google is calling the Nexus Q the world's first social streaming media player and it is designed to stream media from the cloud to your TV or sound system. It's powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with SGX540 graphics and packs 1GB LPDDR RAM, 16GB NAND flash memory, Bluetooth, NFC, and ethernet connectivity. It features a 25W amplifier as well as banana jack speaker outputs, Micro HDMI and Micro USB. The whole thing weighs in at 2lbs and measures 4.6 inches in diameter.
Controlled via your Android device, you'll be accessing the Google Play and YouTube apps on your phone or tablet and selecting music, TV, or movies from there. You can also have friends connect to the Q and select tunes and videos to queue up for play. If you don't want people messing with the perfect playlist you created for your soiree, you can switch off guest mode and no one will be able to meddle with your music.
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
The main problem is that at $299+, for a cloud media center streamer, it will limit the appeal to the mass market that has so many choices for under $100. Even Apple limits the cost to $100 for this type of device. If it goes to Europe with the VAT, it may reach $500 that would have too few buyers to make it worthwhile. Even at $99 I would have to find a reason to buy it since a lot of TV/Blu-Ray players come with NetFlix, Amazon Instant, YouTube etc... "Do I really want this?"
