Google Delays Nexus Q Launch, Pre-Orders Get It Free 69
MBCook writes "After a mixed reaction from the press, Google will be delaying the launch of the Nexus Q. People who pre-ordered will receive the current version of the device for free. '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.'"
preorder (Score:5, Funny)
is it too late to preorder?
Re:preorder (Score:5, Insightful)
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That "whoosh" you just heard was the stampede of people pre-ordering a spot in your "How To Miss The Obvious" seminars.
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I'm waiting for the prequel to come out, and I'm preordering then.
Re:Twins! (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, most reports are that they're scrubbing the launch because the reviews have been pretty bad.
It only does Google content out of the Play store and YouTube videos. You have to use a second screen device as a remote. It was going to be $300.
They botched it and they know it. I won't be surprised if they tack on some software to play other content and release it just to get them off the shelves... but they really need to be working on the next attempt.
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Yeah, most reports are that they're scrubbing the launch because the reviews have been pretty bad.
It only does Google content out of the Play store and YouTube videos. You have to use a second screen device as a remote. It was going to be $300.
I agree, it just doesn't do enough out of the box. Though hopefully getting the current iteration into the hands of devs will yield some actual usefulness when the device does ship to consumers even if Google don't change much between now and then. Hopefully they add DLNA natively (it would nice, though highly unlikely, to have AirPlay too).
Re:Twins! (Score:4, Insightful)
Even with revisions I kind of want this product to fail. I recently purchased a nexus 7 which is a fantastic tablet but the earlier prototype had an sd slot and hdmi port. I suspect as others do, these features were taken out not as a cost cutting measure, but to steer you towards the Q.
If users have a nexus 7 with hdmi out most would say good enough and be happy with that. The nexus Q has more ports for audiophiles but the vast majority will be happy simply using hdmi to the hd display and then to whatever audio system they have for that.
And with hdmi, I could browse the web on a large screen, run games, apps etc. With this it's just stream content from your play purchases (no local content) and oh you can have a friend come over and queue (queue get it? see how smart they are?) their content that they have from the play store.
So it's pluses are neat queuing functionality and additional audio ports
it's cons are: no local content. can't run games, apps to your tv. and it's 300 bucks.
Scratch that. I don't kind of want it to fail, I hope it bombs. Reason being if it's a success less and less tablets will have hdmi in the future.
Again the nexus 7 is an amazing tablet, I just wish I had the version that wasn't downgraded for the validity of this device.
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I'd love one if it could become my android tablet/phone controled media box that would pass the wife test.
It needs DLNA, netflix, hulu plus, amazon VoD, pandora, slacker, etc etc etc and I need to be able to control them fram any android device in the house.
It would be neat to be able to play angry birds/etc on it using the tablet as a touchscreen as well. I bet my kids would get a kick out of that.
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It only does Google content out of the Play store and YouTube videos.
And only if you are in the US. If you are somewhere else the Nexus Q android application *will not be available* to download to your android device, period. And even if you manage to download it by cheating, the youtube application won't display the icon to 'play on Q'.
We complain about DVD and blu-ray zones all the time, but this is even worse. With a blu-ray at least if you take the player with you you can play your media everyone, but with this you are fucked. You can't use the Nexus Q *at all*, even
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Re:Twins! (Score:5, Interesting)
Just reading about the [lack of] capabilities of the device, it was clear what Google's concern was, and ultimately what is going to drive the company to evil. In 5 years, when we talk about what went wrong with Google so that they became the next Apple, my next paragraph is what we're going to be talking about.
It's not piracy. It's anything that doesn't involve looking at Google ads. That's the only explanation for the otherwise-capable device's shocking crippledness. They want you to use their streaming services, but that's not anything that anyone wants. Only lock-in will get people to use that stuff, so they're trying lock-in, without even disguising it with some stupid pretense.
Will the next one be round? (Score:2)
I hope they reintroduce it with the same shape... With the Nexus Q and the Boxee Box I'm one pyramid shaped device away from recreating the old EA logo on my TV stand!
Between the lines (Score:2, Interesting)
In response, we have decided to postpone the consumer launch of Nexus Q while we work on making it even better.
"In response to learning of possible patent litigation from Apple, et. al., we have decided to delay the launch of the Nexus Q while we cover our asses and try to remove the infringing bits."
There, I fixed that for you.
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Patent law sure promotes the Progress of Science and useful Arts, doesn't it!
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The entire smartphone field has exploded over the past 6 years, so yeah, it does promote progress - unless you look at the past decade with a very blinkered view and skew it to fit your own conclusions...
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Re:Between the lines (Score:5, Insightful)
Where has Apple said anything about the Nexus Q?
This is a smart move on Google's part. The device was very strange.
They could make a pretty interesting device out of it. AirPlay is a fantastic feature, I'd love to see Google come up with features like that to extend your Android device. But as announced, it seemed like final hardware designed for a vision that was still in the alpha stage, with no real software ("Let's just stick Android on it!"). I think it says a lot that since that was announced the Ouya was announced at $100, can do most everything the Q can, costs 1/3rd as much, and has had a ton of interest. Google missed the mark, and they're smart to fix it instead of launching it to die in the market.
Re:Between the lines it says Ouya (Score:1)
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To be fair, you wouldn't have had to use an Android phone; you'd have to use an Android device. Think cheapest commodity hardware, running free software. Right now that's under $100 and before too long it will be under $40. "Remotes" are on the cusp of obsolescence, to be replaced by "smartremotes."
But yeah, $300 was way too much for a neato "smartamp" and the weird Google services lock-in made it not really even good for that kind of job.
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To be fair, you wouldn't have had to use an Android phone; you'd have to use an Android device. Think cheapest commodity hardware, running free software. Right now that's under $100 and before too long it will be under $40. "Remotes" are on the cusp of obsolescence, to be replaced by "smartremotes."
But yeah, $300 was way too much for a neato "smartamp" and the weird Google services lock-in made it not really even good for that kind of job.
Not just any Android device, you have to have something running Jellybean, which means exactly one device, so far.
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https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_Q?id=nexus_q [google.com]
"Phone or Tablet running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or higher with access to Google Play"
So pretty much anything running Android at this point.
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https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_Q?id=nexus_q [google.com]
"Phone or Tablet running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or higher with access to Google Play"
So pretty much anything running Android at this point.
Ah. Thanks for the correction.
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And the best part? They're GIVING the device away for FREE to people who pre-ordered. That might just make me a bit more inclined to pre-order from Google in the future. This is a great advertisement for making an early commitment to any Google device. Inherent in any pre-order is some risk. They've just done a pretty good job of making that risk look smaller to future early adopters.
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Preorder, and if nobody likes it, you get one free!
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The stereo amplifier was an odd decision. Peopler either already have an amp, or they don't have speakers. What's the point of having an amp that connects to my TV to play video if I can't direct the TV's sound through the amp?
A very odd decision, especially at the 25W power level. 25W is slightly better than the built-in speakers on the TV, but completely inadequate for audiophiles who would care about having separate speakers from their TV.
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Re:Between the lines (Score:5, Informative)
"In response to learning of possible patent litigation from Apple, et. al., we have decided to delay the launch of the Nexus Q while we cover our asses and try to remove the infringing bits."
Wouldn't the Q first have to be able to - oh, I don't know - actually do something USEFUL before it could infringe on anything?
As it is, I imagine the folks at Apple, Roku, Boxee, et. al were too busy laughing after the Q's announcement to think about suing anyone.
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"In response to learning of possible patent litigation from Apple, et. al., we have decided to delay the launch of the Nexus Q while we cover our asses and try to remove the infringing bits."
Whu? Have Apple finally been granted a patent on "selling a product for 3x the cost of competing products"?
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I'm one of them.
Re:Wish I were a pre-orderer (Score:4, Funny)
an idiot with free hardware, apparently.
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Yeah, 'cause that's just what the Nexus Q is, numbnuts. An iPad killer. Derp.
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That because the don't give out release dates until the product is finished and being manufactured in mass quantities.
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Yes, they're going to deliver them for free.
Kudos to Google (Score:3)
... for realizing the Q was a big old ball of fail.
Seriously, what were they smoking that led them to think the $300 Q was going to receive any real-world reception other than general laughter?
What is in this thing... (Score:1)
...that makes it worth $300 anyway? No screen, only 16Gb storage ... it doesn't seem like an overly complicated device.
I agree (Score:5, Funny)
No wifi, less space than a Nomad....lame.
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+1 internets for you sir.
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It was probably a bunch of people pulling it in various ways treating it as a pet project without realizing the practicalities of it.
First - it only pulls from the internet. You queue up stuff on your Android device to it, but the content must exist "in the cloud". E.g., YouTube, Google Music, etc. You could not stream video from your personal device to it, or from your home content server.
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Partially.
It was made in the USA, from a manufacturing design for China. If you take a design to manufacture something in China and move it ot the USA, it's going to cost way to omuch. Instead, you have to iterate and optimize the design for domestic manufacture - understanding what the robots can do and ensuring your assembly and build process will work within those limitations so you employ as few human hands as possible (it's a dull, boring job that fa
Maybe they should just call it (Score:4, Funny)
the Nexus Qcat?
Merge With Ouya (Score:2)
Learn by example. (Score:2)
When can I get a Nexus 6? (Score:2)
Who cares about the Nexus Q, I want a Nexus 6.
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Who cares about the Nexus Q, I want a Nexus 6.
The Nexus 6 would be great if it wasn't for the ridiculous built-in obsolescence. A few years and then all the content you've collected vanishes, like tears in rain.
Making it better (Score:2)
If Google really wants a win in the TV streaming arena, they need to make the Q stream Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. None of the current offerings out there can do it. You need a different one for each service which is idiotic and based in marketing politics.
If Google ends up with "just another box" streaming MP3s, youtube, and Google TV it's just fail waiting for the fail boat on fail island. People will use their phone or tablet for that before plunking down $300 bills.
Ahhh yeaah (Score:1)
should be
" postpone the consumer launch of Nexus Q to fix critical bugs"