[Nexus Q General] dnlsmy:
When the Q was first leaked during I/O, I remember thinking immediately that it looked awesome and that I would buy it, as long as it was around $150. Bear in mind this was before it was even apparent of what it actually did, there was just a leaked product image and the notion that it was a Nexus Device. I was dissapointed with the price at first, but can see that Google blew their budget on the design of the Q itself (just read the "Finish" description in the Play Store listing, it makes the device sound AWESOME). I have a couple of questions about the Google's decisions though and some insights on some early common questions I had as well.

First and foremost, my immediate response to the unveiling was the question "Why does it not run Google TV?". This took relatively little time to figure out though. Only days before they announced the new Sony Google TV at $200 and the even more affordable Vizio CoStar at $99. At $300, it was clear that this was not going to compete against them, cool design or not. They also were going for a different direction with this and I also believe they're putting Google TV on the back burner for now as their primary entry point into the living room. This device is obviously more reminiscent of the Android@Home showing that Google had at I/O last year, and is even strikingly similar to the Tungsten Speaker they had demoed last year, down to the LED lights, NFC pairing, and instant streaming from Google Music/What would become Play rather that streaming from the device itself. Also, the amount of testing that this device has been going through if you have been following Google Reports closely which desciribe a Bluetooth Internet connected device that was being tested in private through employees at home; you can tell that they are aiming for bigger things than Google TV with this. Personally, I'm glad as I never understood Google TV; I don't watch a lot of cable and an Android device mirrored on a TV would be more beneficial to me, as I only really want Chrome and Apps.

The second question I had came after I learned about the streamer from News sources, as I can't recall it was in the unveiling. The Nexus Q runs ICS, not Jelly Bean like the other Nexus devices. This puzzled me at first but makes sense when you understand that 4.1 really only brings graphical changes and graphical performance enhancements (see:Project Butter). The advantages of 4.1 would only come in once the Q gets a GUI, but I suppose that the gap less playback support would be useful as well. Either way, I also believe Google will update this device to 4.1 eventually for compatiblility as it is a Nexus after all.

Next, the hardware. I don't really understand why it is essentially the Galaxy Nexus under the hood rather than the Nexus 7. I guess cost would probably be the answer but isn't the Nvidia Kai platform the answer to that question? If they released it with Tegra 3, it would essentially be the Ouya "Elite" (a parallel to the Xbox 360 Elite, down to the black finish and premium features like 25w AMP). In some ways, this could be what Google had in mind when they packed it with 16GB of storage. My speculation is that the reason for this particular hardware is that it's cheaper for them to produce, as the Galaxy Nexus has been in production for so long now. The internal storage is probably because of this too.

The largest question is what Google wants this product to do exactly. Android Police had some interesting ideas that this could become your central Android@Home hub of sorts, and sync with all your other Android powered fixtures in the future (like the bulbs last year at I/O or an Android powered Nest like thermostat). The fact that it communicates directly with Google Play and doesn't rely on streaming also supports this idea, as it means that it is independent and can become the center of your future Android powered home. The superfluous ports and private testing, along with the advertised hackabity makes it seem like they are hoping for a Kinect like response from the Dev community, in which people will find out how to use it in interesting and unique ways. They most likely want to see what UI and applictions others come up with before revealing their own.

Lastly and this is something I've thought only recently is about the off-market price. The device isn't even released yet people are selling the I/O model on eBay for $229. This just speaks to the demand for this product I guess, but it means serious Devs who see potential in this device can pick it up for a relative bargain if they so desire.

So, what are your thoughts?