Google, over the years has been making products and services which has been both very useful and dominating from its search engine (Google search), to operating systems (Android and Chrome), device making, among other impressive products. They are not slowing down either as earlier this year, Google at one its events introduced us to quite a few new things they were working on, which included Android L, Android wear, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, among others. Obviously the biggest part was Android L, which we now know to be Android 5.0 Lollipop (its latest operating system). Towards the end of the Nexus 6 launch last month,, they announced the release of an Android media player which has turned out to be the Nexus Player. The Nexus Player designed by Asus for Google could be Google’s response to Apple’s release of the Apple TV .
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| The Nexus Player and its Accessories |
Below is
a brief summary of TechRadar's verdict of the nexus player:
For Against
Icon-heavy, Intuitive interface No ethernet port
Google
Cast screen-sharing Only 16 entertainment channels
Remote
with built-in mic No Amazon Prime or HBO Go
Gaming controller Weak
game choice
The Nexus
player does everything that the Chromecast does and more. It lets you stream,
download and play music and videos and brings gaming to your TV. It also brings
a rather intuitive search and interface to the device. In appearance, the Nexus
player looks round and sleek with the Nexus logo firmly crested on it and comes
with a remote which is connected to the player via bluetooth and an optional
gamepad, it is pretty light but still nice that it is portable. On the back end
is a DC connector for powering the Nexus Player, a micro USB port and a HDMI
port for connecting to your TV. And that’s about it. No power button or anything.
Specs on the
Nexus Player include an Intel Atom 1.8GHz quad-core processor with Imagination
PowerVR Series 6 Graphics. There’s also a gig of RAM and 8GB of storage. It has
a HDMI port – as mentioned above which can do 1920×1080 @60 hertz output. For
WiFi it has 802.11ac MIMO and there’s also Bluetooth 4.0. It does use 2 AAA
batteries, for the remote, which are included in the box. And of course, it’s
running Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The UI is
actually really simple. At the top of the “home screen” there’s the search bar.
Which you can use as you would Google Now. Following the search bar, there are
movies and TV Shows that Google shows you based on recommendations from what
you have watched before, not just from Google Play Movies & TV, but also
from YouTube and Netflix. Below that section, are your apps and games and then
settings down below that. Some of the apps that are pre-installed include the
Google Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Google Play, Play Games, Hulu+,
Netflix, and Songza.
The Nexus player also has game play functionality bundled
with it and a gamepad for that purpose. Currently there is not a whole lot of
games available for the Nexus Player, but it can play any game in the Playstore. The remote controller feels really comfortable,
nice and sturdy in the hand and it is made by ASUS too. On the controller,
you’ve got your usual controls including two joysticks, the power button, home
and back buttons to control Android TV. The remote controller is powered by two
AA batteries, which you’ll need to replace with time. You can also control or
share contents from your phone or watch with the player, via Google Cast screen
sharing.
The Player is already available for pre-order in North
America for 99$ but is expected to be available in other regions before
Christmas. So let’s keep our hands crossed and I promise to bring the full
review of the player when it lands in our shores. Google is selling the Gamepad
separately from the player for 40$.
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