From PC World: HTC and Motorola may have been tapped to make Google’s new mobile Nexus devices, but Nexus 7 veteran Asus wasn’t given the cold shoulder: It’s making the Nexus Player, a puck-like set-top box that signals Google’s renewed assault on the living room with Android TV.
And good news: At first glance, the Nexus Player certainly looks less quirky and far more functional than Google’s disastrous Nexus Q project or that handful of dead Google TV devices—though its announcement comes just a day before Apple is expected to possibly announce a revamped Apple TV of its own. The battle for your boob tube is warming up.
Android TV is Google’s OS reimagined for the living room, with a simplified, elegant 10-foot interface and a focus on streaming. Numerous video and music streaming apps—including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vevo, Plex, YouTube, and more—are already available for the device. Beyond that, the Nexus Player will offer personalized viewing recommendations on your home screen, and any Google Play videos you watch on your TV will sync across all your Android devices, so that you can keep watching your movie on your phone or tablet if you’d like.
An included remote offers voice-recognition capabilities, so you can search for content using natural speech. Android TV is also compatible with Google’s Casting technology and you can cast videos and movies to the Nexus Player, just like you would with a Chromecast.
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