Google Nexus Q hacked, now watch your games on the big screen

When Google unveiled the Nexus Q at Google I/O 2012, they talked about the features and amongst them, they specifically mentioned how they added a mini USB port “to encourage general hackability” by the developer community. Well, it wasn’t long before someone actually stepped up to the plate and did it. Christina Kelly, an Android app developer managed to hack into the Nexus Q and get Swords and Soldiers to run off the device. However, the catch is that you can’t actually play the game since it’s designed for a touch screen so unless you can hook up the Nexus Q to a touchscreen monitor, you won’t be able to actually play the game. The point here is that this first step will soon open doors for other developers to experiment with the Nexus Q expanding its functionality even further. Google is all for modding and hacking which is what made Android so popular in the first place - the ability to customize the experience just the way you like it.

Hack and slash!

Dubbed the world’s first social streaming media player, the Nexus Q streams your favourite entertainment directly from the cloud to your living room. You can simply use the Google Play and YouTube apps on your Android phone or tablet to surf music, TV, movies and videos, and Nexus Q will play it all on the biggest speakers and screen in the house. There are no downloads, no syncing, no running out of space. Users can choose a song from the Google Play Music app on your phone or tablet and play it instantly on Nexus Q. However, it’s important to know that the Google Play Music hasn’t officially come to India. Users can upload up to 20,000 of your own songs for free. Music Manager uploads your iTunes or Windows Media Player library to Google Play so that your collection is available anywhere, anytime. Streaming is not related to music and you can watch your movies on your HDTV with Nexus Q. That feature as well, sadly, has still not been announced for India and we have doubts that it will be coming any time soon.

As far as specs are concerned the Nexus Q is powered by an OMAP4460 (dual ARM Cortex-A9 CPUs and SGX540 GPU) has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of NAND flash memory. It runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has a 24W class D amplifier with 12.5 watts per channel. Connectors and ports include micro HDMI (type D), TOSLink Optical audio (S/PDIF), 10/100BASE-T Ethernet (RJ45), Micro AB USB (for service and support), Banana jack speaker outputs. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. The device comes with a die-cast finish and the Nexus Q has been made entirely in the USA.