<s>
Nexus	B-Device
Q	O
is	O
a	O
digital	B-Application
media	I-Application
player	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Unveiled	O
at	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
I/O	O
developers	O
 '	O
conference	O
on	O
June	O
27	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
for	O
US$300	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NexusQ	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
leverage	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
online	O
media	O
offerings	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Music	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Movies	I-Application
&	I-Application
TV	I-Application
,	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
"	O
shared	O
"	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
could	O
stream	O
content	O
from	O
the	O
supported	O
services	O
to	O
a	O
connected	O
television	O
,	O
or	O
speakers	O
connected	O
to	O
an	O
integrated	O
amplifier	O
,	O
using	O
their	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
and	O
the	O
services	O
 '	O
respective	O
apps	B-Application
as	O
a	O
remote	B-Protocol
control	I-Protocol
for	O
queueing	O
content	O
and	O
controlling	O
playback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
its	O
unique	O
spherical	O
design	O
was	O
praised	O
,	O
the	O
NexusQ	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
functionality	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
similar	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
Apple	B-Device
TV	I-Device
,	O
including	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
support	O
for	O
third-party	O
content	O
services	O
,	O
no	O
support	O
for	O
streaming	O
content	O
directly	O
from	O
other	O
devices	O
using	O
the	O
DLNA	O
standard	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
software	O
issues	O
that	O
affected	O
the	O
usability	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NexusQ	O
was	O
given	O
away	O
at	O
no	O
cost	O
to	O
attendees	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
product	O
's	O
consumer	O
launch	O
was	O
indefinitely	O
postponed	O
the	O
following	O
month	O
,	O
purportedly	O
to	O
collect	O
additional	O
feedback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NexusQ	O
was	O
quietly	O
shelved	O
in	O
January	O
2013	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
device	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Play	O
apps	B-Application
was	O
phased	O
out	O
beginning	O
in	O
May	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
NexusQ	O
's	O
concepts	O
were	O
repurposed	O
for	O
a	O
more-successful	O
device	O
known	O
as	O
Chromecast	B-Device
,	O
which	O
similarly	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
wirelessly	O
queue	O
content	O
for	O
playback	O
using	O
functions	O
found	O
in	O
supported	O
apps	B-Application
,	O
but	O
is	O
designed	O
as	O
a	O
smaller	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
dongle	B-Device
with	O
support	O
for	O
third-party	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
early	O
iteration	O
of	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
was	O
first	O
demoed	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
in	O
2011	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Project	O
Tungsten	O
"	O
;	O
the	O
device	O
could	O
stream	O
music	O
wirelessly	O
from	O
another	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
to	O
attached	O
speakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
component	O
of	O
a	O
home	O
automation	O
concept	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Android	B-Application
@Home	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
aimed	O
to	O
provide	O
an	O
Android-based	O
framework	O
for	O
connected	O
devices	O
within	O
a	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Music	O
service	O
in	O
November	O
2011	O
,	O
a	O
decision	O
was	O
made	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
hardware	O
device	O
to	O
serve	O
as	O
a	O
tie-in	O
—	O
a	O
project	O
that	O
eventually	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
.	O
Google	B-Application
engineering	O
director	O
Joe	O
Britt	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
make	O
music	O
a	O
"	O
social	O
,	O
shared	O
experience	O
"	O
,	O
encouraging	O
real-world	O
interaction	O
between	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
felt	O
that	O
there	O
had	O
been	O
"	O
a	O
generation	O
of	O
people	O
who	O
’ve	O
grown	O
up	O
with	O
white	B-Operating_System
earbuds	I-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
thus	O
not	O
experienced	O
the	O
difference	O
of	O
music	O
played	O
on	O
speakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
was	O
the	O
first	O
hardware	O
product	O
developed	O
entirely	O
in-house	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
manufactured	O
in	O
a	O
U.S.-based	O
factory	O
—	O
which	O
allowed	O
Google	B-Application
engineers	O
to	O
inspect	O
the	O
devices	O
during	O
their	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
takes	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
sphere	O
with	O
a	O
flat	O
base	O
;	O
Google	B-Application
designer	O
Mike	O
Simonian	O
explained	O
that	O
its	O
form	O
factor	O
was	O
meant	O
to	O
represent	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
pointed	O
towards	O
"	O
the	B-Architecture
cloud	I-Architecture
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
people	O
all	O
around	O
"	O
to	O
reflect	O
its	O
communal	O
nature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
halves	O
is	O
a	O
ring	O
of	O
32	O
LEDs	O
;	O
these	O
lights	O
serve	O
as	O
a	O
music	B-Application
visualizer	I-Application
that	O
animate	O
in	O
time	O
to	O
music	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
set	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
five	O
different	O
color	O
schemes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rear	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
contains	O
a	O
power	O
connector	O
,	O
ethernet	O
jack	O
,	O
micro	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
and	O
optical	B-Protocol
audio	I-Protocol
outputs	O
,	O
banana	B-Protocol
plugs	I-Protocol
for	O
connecting	O
speakers	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
built-in	O
25-watt	O
"	O
stereo-grade	O
"	O
amplifier	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
micro	O
USB	O
connector	O
meant	O
to	O
"	O
connect	O
future	O
accessories	O
and	O
encourage	O
general	O
hack-ability	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
includes	O
an	O
OMAP4	B-Device
processor	O
,	O
1GB	O
of	O
RAM	O
,	O
and	O
16GB	O
of	O
storage	O
used	O
for	O
caching	O
of	O
streamed	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
supports	O
near-field	O
communication	O
and	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
for	O
pairing	O
devices	O
and	O
initial	O
setup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
runs	O
a	O
stripped-down	O
version	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
4.0	I-Application
"	I-Application
Ice	I-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
"	I-Application
,	O
and	O
is	O
controlled	O
solely	O
via	O
supported	O
apps	B-Application
on	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
4.1	I-Application
"	I-Application
Jelly	I-Application
Bean	I-Application
"	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
support	O
older	O
versions	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
following	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
official	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Media	O
could	O
be	O
queued	O
to	O
play	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
using	O
a	O
"	O
Play	O
to	O
"	O
button	O
shown	O
within	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Play	B-Application
Music	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Movies	I-Application
&	I-Application
TV	I-Application
,	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
apps	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Content	O
is	O
streamed	O
directly	O
from	O
the	O
services	O
by	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
,	O
with	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
used	O
like	O
a	O
remote	B-Protocol
control	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
music	O
,	O
multiple	O
users	O
could	O
collaboratively	O
queue	O
songs	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Music	I-Application
onto	O
a	O
playlist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
management	O
app	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
adjust	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
hardware	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
did	O
not	O
support	O
any	O
third-party	O
media	O
services	O
,	O
nor	O
could	O
media	O
be	O
stored	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
or	O
streamed	O
to	O
it	O
using	O
the	O
standardized	O
DLNA	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
criticism	O
of	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
centered	O
on	O
its	O
relatively	O
high	O
price	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
contemporary	O
media	O
streaming	B-Application
devices	I-Application
and	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Apple	B-Device
TV	I-Device
and	O
Roku	O
,	O
especially	O
considering	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
features	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
these	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
technology	O
columnist	O
David	O
Pogue	O
described	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
as	O
being	O
a	O
"	O
baffling	O
"	O
device	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
wildly	O
overbuilt	O
for	O
its	O
incredibly	O
limited	O
functions	O
,	O
and	O
far	O
too	O
expensive	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
arguing	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
probably	O
appeal	O
only	O
to	O
people	O
"	O
whose	O
living	O
rooms	O
are	O
dominated	O
by	O
bowling	O
ball	O
collections.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Engadget	B-Application
was	O
similarly	O
mixed	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
sophisticated	O
,	O
beautiful	O
device	O
with	O
such	O
a	O
fine-grained	O
degree	O
of	O
engineering	O
you	O
ca	O
n't	O
help	O
but	O
respect	O
it	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
its	O
amplifier	O
was	O
capable	O
of	O
producing	O
"	O
very	O
clean	O
sound	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
was	O
a	O
"	O
high-price	O
novelty	O
"	O
that	O
lacked	O
support	O
for	O
DLNA	O
,	O
lossless	O
audio	O
,	O
and	O
playback	O
of	O
content	O
from	O
external	O
or	O
internal	O
storage	O
among	O
other	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
units	O
were	O
distributed	O
as	O
a	O
gift	O
to	O
attendees	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
2012	O
,	O
with	O
online	O
pre-orders	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
opening	O
at	O
a	O
price	O
of	O
US$300	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
31	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
delay	O
the	O
official	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
in	O
order	O
to	O
address	O
early	O
feedback	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
all	O
customers	O
who	O
pre-ordered	O
the	O
device	O
would	O
receive	O
it	O
for	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
January	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
no	O
longer	O
listed	O
for	O
sale	O
on	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Play	O
website	O
,	O
implying	O
that	O
its	O
official	O
release	O
had	O
been	O
cancelled	O
indefinitely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
began	O
to	O
discontinue	O
software	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
in	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
beginning	O
with	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Play	B-Application
Music	I-Application
app	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
similar	O
update	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Movies	I-Application
&	I-Application
TV	I-Application
in	O
June	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
has	O
also	O
been	O
the	O
subject	O
of	O
third-party	O
development	O
and	O
experimentation	O
;	O
XDA-developers	B-Application
users	O
discovered	O
means	O
for	O
side-loading	O
Android	B-Application
applications	I-Application
onto	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
to	O
expand	O
its	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
user	O
demonstrated	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
traditional	O
Android	B-Application
home	O
screen	O
with	O
keyboard	O
and	O
mouse	O
input	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
official	O
Netflix	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2013	O
,	O
an	O
unofficial	O
build	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
4.4	I-Application
"	I-Application
KitKat	I-Application
"	I-Application
based	O
on	O
CyanogenMod	B-Application
code	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
unstable	O
and	O
lacked	O
reliable	O
Wi-Fi	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
received	O
a	O
de	O
facto	O
successor	O
in	O
July	O
2013	O
with	O
the	O
unveiling	O
of	O
Chromecast	B-Device
,	O
a	O
streaming	B-Application
device	I-Application
that	O
similarly	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
queue	O
the	O
playback	O
of	O
remote	O
content	O
(	O
"	O
cast	O
"	O
)	O
via	O
a	O
mobile	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chromecast	B-Device
is	O
contrasted	O
by	O
its	O
compact	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
dongle	B-Device
form	O
factor	O
,	O
the	O
availability	O
of	O
an	O
SDK	B-Application
that	O
allows	O
third-party	O
services	O
to	O
integrate	O
with	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
considerably	O
lower	O
price	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Q	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2014	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
Asus	O
released	O
a	O
second	O
Nexus-branded	O
digital	B-Application
media	I-Application
player	I-Application
known	O
as	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
which	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
launch	O
device	O
for	O
the	O
digital	B-Application
media	I-Application
player	I-Application
and	O
smart	O
TV	O
platform	O
Android	B-Application
TV	I-Application
.	O
</s>
