Tag Archives: nexus q

Nexus Q hacked to run CM9 and XBMC, inches closer to usefulness

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Nexus Q hacked to run CM9 and XBMC, inches closer to usefulness

The Nexus Q hacks are coming fast and furious now, and inching closer to true usefulness with each one. The latest is easily the most exciting -- a port of full-blown CyanogenMod 9 and XMBC for Android. While the hack was the work of the actual CM team, the Q is not an officially supported device. There are still plenty of quirks and bugs to iron out, but WiFi and Bluetooth are both up and running. If you've got one of the expertly crafted magnesium spheres, there's nothing stopping you from blessing it with a little custom ROM love. Just know that there's still lots of work to do, especially on the XMBC for Android front which is still very much in the experimental stage. To see CM9 in action check out the video after the break and hit up the more coverage link for install instructions.

Continue reading Nexus Q hacked to run CM9 and XBMC, inches closer to usefulness

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Nexus Q hacked to run CM9 and XBMC, inches closer to usefulness originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 48 arrives with the Nexus Q, Levar Burton and more

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Distro Issue 48 arrives with the Nexus Q, Levar Burton and more

After a brief respite to recover from last week's hot dog and homemade ice cream comas, our tablet mag is back in action. Getting our e-publication affairs back in order, Brian Heater sits down with Levar Burton to chat about Reading Rainbow, a new iPad app and Star Trek gadgetry. Hitting on another bit of childhood nostalgia for many of us at Engadget HQ, Alexis Santos drops by NASA's Launch Control Center (LCC) for a tour after more than three decades of operation. On the review front, we roll up our sleeves and put both the Nexus Q and the Samsung Series 9 through the wringer while offering some in-depth impressions. "Eyes-On" takes a peek at the Google booty offered to I/O attendees, "Hands-On" our latest gadget outings and Gaikai's founder admits his reliance on the PowerPoint gods in the Q&A. Don't take our word for it. Snag your copy of the e-magazine with a few clicks on the download links that follow.

Distro Issue 48 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

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Distro Issue 48 arrives with the Nexus Q, Levar Burton and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus Q repurposed to play Pong, games with your heart (video)

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Nexus Q repurposed to play Pong, games with your heart video

Google's mysterious, if not ominous Nexus Q has already been hacked to launch apps of varied origins, but there's one particular app that stands above all: Pong. Or, Brick Defender -- you know, what's a generic title amongst friends? BrickSimple managed to hack the Q for Pong playback, using the spinning top (read: volume wheel) to move the lower bar in the game. We'll let you get right to the action; the video's embedded after the break, and the code snippet necessary to duplicate it is there in the source below.

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Nexus Q repurposed to play Pong, games with your heart (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus Q hacked to launch apps, gets remote control web app

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Nexus Q hacked to launch apps, gets remote control web app

So, that first round of Nexus Q hacks? Impressive in terms of turn around time, not so much when functionality is your primary metric. But, a couple of weeks with the gorgeous, if questionably useful device, has started to produce some truly exciting results. The one that has our tinkering fingers itching most, puts a launcher and apps right at your finger tips... well, mouse pointer. The hack is hardly for the meek but, if you're already in possession of a Nexus Q, we're sure pushing a few .apks via adb won't unsettle you too much. The solution is far from perfect, but the Android foundation is able to recognize keyboards and mice it seems without issue. What really makes this a great hack, of course, is the ability to install apps like Netflix and Angry Birds finally freeing the Q from its arguably artificial shackles. If you're looking for something a little less involved (and decidedly less cool) there's also QRemote, an .apk you can push to your Q that lets you control it via a web browser. It doesn't expose any additional functionality, but at least it lets you skip tracks from your PC or other non-Jelly Bean device. You can see both in action after the break, and all the relevant files and accompanying instructions live at the source links.

Continue reading Nexus Q hacked to launch apps, gets remote control web app

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Nexus Q hacked to launch apps, gets remote control web app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus Q review: Google’s mysterious little social streamer

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DNP Nexus Q review Google's mysterious little social streamer

When setting up a gadget for review, delicately unboxing and smelling the carcinogenic whiff of freshly molded plastics, we typically feel some amount of excitement and anticipation to see how it stacks up against the competition. It's either that or a resigned sense of duty as we run yet another iterative evolution of this or that laptop through the same benchmarks to see just how this year's model stacks up to the older model now being sold on discount. With the Nexus Q, though, we felt something different altogether: genuine curiosity.

Why? Well, it's a high-end device with a $299 MSRP, a price that's multiple times higher higher than media streamers like the Apple TV, anything from Roku and, indeed, Google's own Google TV. And yet, the Q has considerably less functionality than any of them. Largely because of this, many who witnessed its unveiling at Google I/O were quick to write it off. Despite having our own doubts we pledged to give it a fair swing, a week of solid use at home and with friends. How did it do? Does this high-concept device with high-end componentry make up for some decidedly low-end capabilities? There's only one way to find out.

Gallery: Nexus Q review

Continue reading Nexus Q review: Google's mysterious little social streamer

Nexus Q review: Google's mysterious little social streamer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iFixit tears down the Nexus Q: made in the USA, and possibly somewhere else

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iFixit tears down the Nexus Q made in the USA, and possibly somewhere else

Is it possible to manufacture a sophisticated wireless-capable device entirely in the United States? That's vaguely the suggestion of Google's jet-black orb, launched last week at the search (and now hardware) giant's I/O event in San Francisco. Now, the Nexus Q is just dying to get undressed, and that's exactly what our iFixit friends have done, revealing each component's country of origin. Perhaps one of the most notable items, the Samsung 16GB moviNAND Flash Memory module, may have been made stateside (Austin, TX), but could also have been produced in Hwaseong, South Korea. Some parts, such as the Ethernet port (China) or optical-out connector (Japan) could only have been imported, as iFixit points out, though others are certainly domestic (a photomicrosensor made in California or Illinois). Ready to dive in yourself to verify those findings? You're not going to want to open this thing up on your own -- there's a bevy of capacitors inside, including one with output in the 400-volt range (a warning label alerts would-be trespassers). You can, however, poke around a bit more at our source link below.

iFixit tears down the Nexus Q: made in the USA, and possibly somewhere else originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus Q app throws in voice-powered Magic 8 Ball mode

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Nexus Q app throws in voicepowered Magic 8 Ball mode

No stranger to throwing in some extra, if not-that-functional, additions to its products, Google's new audio orb packs its own Easter egg -- a Magic 8 Ball mode. Tapping the Nexus Q's image in its companion Android app will throw up a new screen, offering voice input to take your existential questions. Replies are certainly of the Magic 8 Ball caliber, although there's no accelerometer-based shaker -- at least not yet.

Nexus Q app throws in voice-powered Magic 8 Ball mode originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: The fight, the fancy, and the future

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

DNP Switched On The fight, the fancy, and the future

While Microsoft's motivations in announcing Surface differed meaningfully from Google's when it announced the Nexus One, the Redmond company took advantage of the precedent that Google set in releasing a device that competed with those of licensees. At Google I/O, it was Google's turn to again approach the hardware market, this time with three devices that took the company into new categories and targeted different competitors. The trajectory of each product reveals clues about the company's direction.

Continue reading Switched On: The fight, the fancy, and the future

Switched On: The fight, the fancy, and the future originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cracking the Nexus Q, Google’s 25-watt amplified obsession

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"We're missing a nut," says a bemused Matt Hershenson, former Danger founder and now Google's director of hardware for Android, pointing at a vacant spot on an exploded photo of the Nexus Q. Its parts are strewn out across a white background, perfectly arranged in a linear pattern that starkly contrasts with the spherical nature of the thing. "Wow, you're right," agrees Joe Britt, engineering director at Google and another former Danger founder. "It's like the illuminators, you know, the monks who used to draw up the codexes." Hershenson picks up the reference without missing a beat: "Everybody needs to make at least one mistake. Nothing can be perfect."

That goes against everything else we've been learning from the pair, who spend 45 minutes walking us through every detail of what went into the development of the new Nexus Q. They worked hand-in-hand with engineers and designers and materials experts, ensuring everything from the bearings to the LEDs were, well, perfect. But there is one thing, something larger, that many have said is a crucial flaw in this illuminated device: pricing. Will people pay $299 for a high-concept, low-functionality social media streamer? Join us after the break for how the Q came to be, and why Britt and Hershenson think it will be a success.

Gallery: Nexus Q hands-on

Continue reading Cracking the Nexus Q, Google's 25-watt amplified obsession

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Cracking the Nexus Q, Google's 25-watt amplified obsession originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 47: Made in the USA edition

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Distro Issue 47 Made in the USA edition

It's that time of the year when folks in the US of A tend to get a tad bit patriotic. Pretty soon, those of us in the States will be all about grilling and putting back a few hot dogs and / or hamburgers before rushing off to catch some fireworks. We're looking to keep the spirit alive in our weekly, too. This time around, we offer up a Made in the USA edition with editorials that tackle Nevada's solar-geothermal hybrid power plant and just how much coin it takes to offer internet in American Samoa -- along with a few more stops in between. The Nexus 7 and Nexus Q were revealed at Google I/O and we offer some initial thoughts on the pair of gadgets from the folks in Mountain View. Find yourself jonesin' for a closer look at that fancy Tesla S? You're in luck. You'll find some detail shots of the new $50,000 EV in "Eyes-On" this week. So what are you waiting for? There's a monster truck on the cover for crying out loud! Dive right in to the latest issue via your download method of choice.

Distro Issue 47 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Distro Issue 47: Made in the USA edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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