Nexus Q Reviewed

Nexus Q mini.jpg

Google made a number of announcements at Google I/O this year, but the most surprising was probably the announcement of the Nexus Q. The Nexus Q was the strange, little orb-shaped media streamer. The size and shape were unusual, but the surprising part was that the Nexus Q is not a Google TV device, but is instead positioned as a completely new type of streamer. With its built-in 25 watt amplifier, the Nexus Q seems specifically geared toward music streaming, but it also sports an HDMI output for streaming movies and shows purchased through Google Play or for accessing YouTube. The real purpose of the Nexus Q is to to focus attention on Google Play and the media and apps that Google is pushing. To go all SAT on you, it would seem that Google intends for the Nexus Q to be to the Apple TV as Google TV is to the Roku, but unfortunately Apple is a couple generations ahead with the Apple TV and has already seen the wisdom of opening up to at least some third party providers such as Netflix and Hulu Plus.

Google’s Nexus Q wants to compete with Sonos and beam music from the cloud to your speakers. It also plays YouTube and Google Play movies and TV shows – but is it worth $299?