May

[Don't Panic] Google-Branded H840 Media Player Appears In The FCC, Bearing Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy References

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Google, News

Normally we're a bit wary of reporting on the certification filings that go through the Federal Communications Commission, because frankly, they don't often mean anything. But an entry spotted by the fine folks at TabletGuide.nl caught our attention purely on its geeky merit. There's very little information available about the "H840 DEVICE" - it's made (or at least submitted) by Google, it's listed as a Digital Transmission System and "functions as a media player," it has a WiFi connection, and it runs on AC power. Oh, and the model number is H2G2-42.

Douglass Adams fans will recall H2G2 as shorthand for The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series, a much-loved collection of five books and innumerable spin-offs that lampoons science fiction (and just about everything else).

Jan

First Official CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightly Shows Up For The Nexus Q

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

It seems that the Nexus Q, while still not officially re-available in the Play Store, is apparently anything but forgotten. The device – which is codenamed steelhead – just got its first official CyanogenMod 10.1 nightly build. Neat-o.

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

Installing this build works basically the same as other Nexus devices: boot into recovery and flash.

Jan

Android: A Look Back To 2012, And A Look Forward To 2013

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Editorials, News, Rumors

Last Updated: January 7th, 2013

Happy New Year! It's that time again; with the new year comes our new annual prediction post. I tackled this last year, and rather than do a bunch of crazy, pulled-from-thin-air predictions, I ended up with a link-filled research-fest for the year. It worked out pretty well, so that's what's on the docket for today. First though, I'll take a look and see just how many of last year's predictions and rumors came true, and provide some updates for the more important topics.

A Look Back To 2012

What a crazy year. 2012 brought us two versions of Jelly Bean: 4.1 and 4.2. We saw a complete transformation of Google Search with the Knowledge Graph, Google Now, voice output, and Google Goggles integration.

Aug

Google Is Now Shipping Nexus Q's To At Least Some Pre-Order Customers

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Google, News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

Update: We've received confirmation from Google that shipping is underway for pre-order customers.

We've just received information suggesting that some Nexus Q's have begun shipping to customers who pre-ordered the device before Google announced yesterday that its launch had been suspended while the device was reworked to not be quite so useless. All pre-order customers were promised their Q's "soon" and free of charge, and apparently when they said soon, they meant it.

We've reached out to Google for confirmation, but this seems like pretty solid evidence to us.

Thanks, Anon!

Jul

Google Suspends Launch Of Nexus Q, Promises Free Q To Those Who Pre-Ordered

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

Google has indefinitely suspended the launch of the Nexus Q to consumers so they can make it "do even more than it does today." Which translates to, roughly, "sorry, everyone is telling us this thing is basically useless as is, so please give us time to fix it." Those who pre-ordered will be getting free Q's, though, so that's pretty awesome. Here's the email Google sent out to pre-order customers:

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.

Jul

[Update: Backordered 2-3 Weeks] The Nexus Q Is In Stock On The Play Store, Shipping In 3-5 Days

Posted by David Ruddock in Accessories, Google, News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

Last Updated: July 25th, 2012

Update: Surprise, surprise - the Nexus Q has had its ship date pushed another 2-3 weeks. We're guessing it doesn't have to do much with unexpected demand.

Oh Nexus Q, I really do want to love you. Unfortunately, you're just not 300 dollars of loveable. The media sphere (which sounds like something out of Futurama) is now officially shipping in 3-5 days.

So, if you want one of these things, go 'n get it. Personally, I find it makes a really classy bookend.

Play Store

Jul

[Video] CM9 Finds Itself On The Nexus Q – CyanogenMod: "This Should Serve As An Indication Of Potential"

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

In a feat that, according to the CyanogenMod team, serves "as an indication of potential," Jason Parker (aka kornyone) has managed to boot CyanogenMod 9 on the Nexus Q.

Starting with fastboot, adb pushing, and running "just about any sideloaded APK" (including XBMC), Parker has been pushing the Q's potential over the past week in an effort that has culminated in getting a CM9 build (based on the Tuna/Maguro repositories and prebuilt kernel) to run on the device. Not only does Parker have CM9 running on the Q, but he says that "overall it's functioning better than many devices I have ported on first boot."

Parker also notes, however, that the build is "very much a work in progress." While Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and "much else" works, sound is not yet functional and SystemUI experiences frequent crashes.

Jul

Pre-Built XBMC Apk Is Available, Here's What It Looks Like Running On A Nexus Q

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Earlier this week, we mentioned that the amazing folks behind the XBMC project are bringing the app to Android. Well, it's still very early, but would you like to see what it's gonna be like? Of course you do. If you've got a Nexus Q or an Android-compatible set top box, you can download the apk from our mirrors below. For the rest of you, here's what it looks like running on a lovingly hacked Nexus Q, courtesy of Cyanogenmod developer Jason Parker:

The interface is still very much centered around arrow keys/a d-pad. Touch input does work, but text is very small on a phone and not much better on a tablet.

Jul

The Google Nexus Q Has An Easter Egg Too

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, News, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

Google tends to put Easter Eggs into all Android OS releases - remember the one Jelly Bean came with? Turns out the company stuffs these treats into more than just the operating system, as the Nexus Q's Android app has it too.

Beneath the tough outer shell of the Q lives a lonely Magic 8 Ball. To summon this ~~genie~~ bipolar fortuneteller, ~~rub~~ tap it in the right place a few times, and out it comes. The right place happens to be the image of the sphere (first screenshot below) - just tap away, and the Q will eventually exclaim "Have a dilemma?

Jun

The Nexus Q: Massive Misstep Or Misunderstood Science Experiment?

Posted by David Ruddock in Editorials, Nexus Q (Steelhead)

When Google unveiled the Nexus Q at I/O on Wednesday, there were cheers. But not until the designers and creators of the hardware came on stage to explain what it was for a good 5 minutes. Hell, they even put together a fantastic video showing the process of manufacturing the Q (in the good 'ol US of A!). Seriously, if you haven't watched it - watch it. The production values are outstanding.

And Google topped it all off by giving everybody at I/O a Q to... do stuff with. But what?