Hasta La Gadget!

With the release of the Chromecast came the second wave of Google’s vision for ultra-simple “flinging” of content from your Android device to a larger display. As the Nexus Q took a belly dive, the much smaller and simpler Chromecast took hold, it being small enough to fit in a person’s pocket and able to […]

Google’s short-lived Nexus Q has already been left out of the Google Play Music All Access action, but there looks to be a successor in the pipeline, with a new Google media player spotted in FCC testing. The Google H840 (product code H2G2-42, an apparent play on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) WiFi-testing listing has been pared back thanks to a confidentiality request, but the wireless report does confirm that it “functions as a media player” with 2.4GHz WiFi b/g/n connectivity.

Unfortunately there are no test photos, so we don’t know what the Google H840 looks like. The report suggests it was tested with a USB-connected Dell monitor, though that’s presumably to access either the LCD’s USB hub or its memory card slot, since that particular model doesn’t support video input over USB.

Anything else is, at this stage, speculative, though given the launch of Google Play Music All Access this past week at I/O, some sort of Sonos-style streaming box would seem an obvious guess. That could be hooked up to a set of external speakers or alternatively have onboard speakers and amplification.

Google isn’t the only company tipped to be working on a streaming media device. Earlier this month, it was rumored that Amazon’s hardware lab is developing a wireless audio adapter which could be used with its own cloud music locker service.

The Google H840 would presumably be a more focused device than the Nexus Q, which was unveiled at I/O in 2012 and then swiftly killed off as market feedback proved uncertain. The orb-shaped streamer was intended to funnel YouTube videos, music, and other content direct to a TV, with communal playlist control from multiple Android-powered phones and tablets.

However, a combination of high price – partly because Google intended it to be manufactured in the US – and confusing purpose meant the Nexus Q project was axed. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Google would not be officially supporting the streamer with the All Access subscription music jukebox service.

The H840 (its H2G2-42 product code a combination of the fan abbreviation for Hitchhiker’s Guide and the “meaning of life”: the number 42) looks to be the second attempt at the market, though when Google will actually unveil it officially remains to be seen.

VIA: TabletGuide

Google H840 media streamer hits FCC to potentially replace Nexus Q is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It would appear that the lost product that was the Google Nexus Q is back again – though not created with the same technology, exactly, and certainly not manufactured by the same brand. What’s appearing this week is a device by the name of PLAiR, made approximately the size of the palm of a human hand and attachable to the back of your television via its full-sized HDMI port (if your television was made in the past 10 years, you’ve got one). This device will allow users to play video from their laptop or smartphone wirelessly to the screen of their TV.

Google released a device just over a year ago by the name of Nexus Q. This device was the size of a bocce ball and was revealed at a conference for software developers: Google I/O. Because we (SlashGear) were at the event, we were given this device to work and play with, and even went so far as to give it a full standard review. It works in a manner very, very similar to this new PLAiR device.

Unlike the PLAiR, the Nexus Q required an Android device to play video wirelessly to your television. It also took up significantly more space on your television stand. Here with the release of the PLAiR, we’ve also entered an age with our mobile devices in which wirelessly flinging video from ones smartphone to the TV is all but expected – the GALAXY S 4 does it, the HTC One does it, and with the dawn of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, most future Android devices will do it too.

Unlike those devices, the PLAiR will not be using DLNA technology to connect your device to your television. Instead it uses a wi-fi signal emitted from the PLAiR hardware and picked up by your notebook, desktop, tablet, or smartphone – or basically anything that can connect to wi-fi and has a web browser.

Connecting to the PLAiR device (which will be connected to an HDMI port on one’s television) is done with a slight modification to the user’s Chrome web browser. So that is another must-have for this setup – if you can’t run Chrome, you can’t work with PLAiR. From there it’s a miniature button that floats above your YouTube videos and other app-bound videos galore – a single tap sends them playing on the television the PLAiR is connected to. Hulu doesn’t work here at the launch of this device, nor does Netflix – perhaps sooner than later though, we’ll see.

Now it’ll be a matter of marketing this device differently from Google’s Nexus Q. In that case, Google sent out the first wave of orders and gave everyone their money back because they estimated the costs to outweigh the benefits of continuing to work with the device. Perhaps we’ll see the return of that device in a new form next month. Make sure you join us at Google I/O 2013 through our Google I/O tag portal from the 15th to the 17th of May.

[via Dvice]

PLAiR device recollects Nexus Q laptop-to-TV video streaming is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google unveiled their Nexus Q media-streaming device at the 2012 Google I/O developers conference back in June, and while critics didn’t quite see the point of the device, it was in hot demand and eventually sold out overnight. However, it seems Google has given up on the device because it’s nowhere to be found on the Nexus landing page on the company’s website.

The device is still up in the Google Play store, but isn’t available for purchase, although there’s a “Notify Me” section that will let you know “when Nexus Q becomes available.” However, it could be that we’ll never hear from the Nexus Q again, since Google seems to be treating it as an afterthought at this point.

It looks like Google isn’t willing to share any information on the decision to nix the Q from its Nexus landing page, other than they “don’t have anything to share at this time.” The only Nexus devices making an appearance on Google’s main Nexus page are the new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices that were announced earlier this week, as well as the Nexus 7, which received an upgrade to 32GB and 3G capabilities earlier this week as well.

For those users who were looking forward to the Nexus Q’s capabilities, it’s certainly a sad thing to see the device slowly fading into the dust. We even saw great promise in the device when we reviewed it a couple months back, so we’re sad to see it go ourselves, but it looks like Google is focusing more on the device that it knows will get a lot of attention in the future.

[via Engadget]

Nexus Q removed from Google’s Nexus landing page is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Sun may be setting on the final day of July, but it’s also setting on the second day of the patent trial between Apple and Samsung. Today Apple gave its opening arguments while successfully getting a Google employee off the jury. Apple’s lead attorney seemed to think that Samsung would be taking a “devil made me do it” approach to its defense, while the Galaxy S manufacturer (which has a lot at stake in this trial) instead said that the iPhone was “inspiring to everyone.” Though it initially seemed that this trial would be nothing but boring patent talk, it now appears that it will be quite entertaining, so long as Apple and Samsung continue taking swings at one another like they did today.

Next up we’ve got some Apple and Samsung news that isn’t related to the trial, with Hulu Plus landing on Apple TV today (along with our examination of why it took so long), and Samsung reportedly working on a 11.8″ 2560 × 1600 tablet codenamed “P10.” Samsung Music Hub also launched in the US today, and the company is giving Galaxy S III owners a free 30-day trial. Be sure to check it out if you recently picked up Samsung’s latest flagship device.

Microsoft launched Outlook.com earlier today, and we’ve got a hands-on with the new service so you can learn all about it. Meanwhile, we caught wind of Sony’s new Xperia tablet thanks to some leaked presentation slides, and those who pre-ordered the Google Nexus Q found out they are being treated to a free device as the company halts Nexus Q sales in order to take some time to improve it. Unfortunately, today brought more bad news for RIM, which is reportedly gearing up to lay off 3,000 employees on August 13. The bad news doesn’t stop at the reported layoffs, however, as it was also revealed that TAT founder Hampus Jakobsson has left both the company and development on Blackberry 10 behind.

Got $150,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Maybe you should drop it all on this Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge. Today Ubisoft discussed the recent controversy over the security holes discovered in its UPlay launcher, telling gamers that it takes their security very seriously. Finally, by far the biggest piece of gaming news from today is the announcement that Star Wars: The Old Republic will soon be going free-to-play. That’s right: soon you’ll be able to ride Ewoks without paying a monthly subscription fee (you can ride Ewoks in this game, right?).

That’s all for today’s evening wrap-up folks. Now, go off and enjoy your Tuesday night!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: July 31, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.