谷歌“死亡之星”全接觸

????體重2磅，直徑4.6英寸，該公司最新推出的這款球形流媒體播放器將33塊LED燈泡整合成其富有金屬光澤的黑色外殼，這個外殼可以改變顏色和光強度，或者如果用戶愿意的話——還可以不發光。它觸感很舒服，但外觀給人的感覺甚至更加舒服，無疑是市場上同類產品中看上去最美的產品。

????然而，盡管谷歌的這款名副其實可謂是迷你版死亡之星（Death Star，指《星球大戰》中帝國軍隊對任何不忠行為進行鎮壓的強大武器——譯注）。它或許很漂亮，但在功能方面卻存在不足。該產品售價達299美元，是流媒體視頻機頂盒Roku LT（50美元）或蘋果電視機頂盒（100美元）售價的好幾倍，然而其功能卻明顯不如后兩者。目前，Nexus Q可以讓用戶訪問與谷歌相關的一系列服務，比如谷歌音樂播放（Google Play Music）、谷歌影視播放（Google Play Movies & TV）以及YouTube，但如果用戶想要使用Netflix（NFLX）、 Hulu、Pandora、Spotify及MLB.TV這類流媒體服務的話，往往會大失所望。而且，以流媒體方式播放的音樂和視頻必須從谷歌播放（Google Play）應用商店購買，而來自非谷歌服務平臺的流媒體必須先上傳到該公司的服務器上才能進行播放。

????還有一個值得注意的問題：按照目前的情況來看，用戶需要載有安卓（Android）2.3版（或以上）操作系統的手機或平板電腦來控制Nexus Q：和許多Roku產品不一樣，Nexus Q本身沒有遙控器，而且也沒有其他方式來控制這款流媒體播放器。不過，如果用戶持有一款安卓產品的話，那么Nexus Q的設置就非常簡單了：從谷歌播放應用商店把Nexus Q應用程序下載到手機或平板電腦上，接著該應用程序就會迅速與Nexus Q通信，完成設置并啟動Nexus Q。

????Nexus Q的現有功能都確實完成得相當不錯。我們播放了好幾個小時的電影和音樂，雖然《變形金剛:月黑之時》（Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon）在啟動播放時存在明顯延遲的問題，但高清視頻播放總體上可以說是既清晰又流暢。谷歌Nexus 7平板電腦上預裝的許多歌曲相互切換也是既快捷又方便。用戶在調節音量時有兩個選擇，可以利用簡單的Nexus Q應用程序，或者旋轉Nexus Q設備頂部的球體旋轉蓋即可。（輕拍Nexus Q設備的圓頂就能打開、關閉靜音功能。）

????雖然Nexus Q是一款漂亮的硬件設備，但只有那些熱衷嘗鮮并且崇尚唯美的消費者才會欣賞，而且也只是在有限的范圍內得到欣賞，因為價格比它便宜許多的各種同類產品能使用戶獲得更多的服務及更全面的內容。隨著谷歌在軟件方面更新這款產品（希望在此過程中向第三方服務供應商開放），這種情況可能會改觀。但現在，它只不過是一款制作華美、新奇有趣的電子產品。

????翻譯：iDo98

????At 2 lbs. and 4.6 inches in diameter, the company's new digital media hub integrates 33 LED bulbs into its metallic black shell that change color and intensity, or stay off, if that's what users prefer. It's cool to the touch and even cooler to look at, surely one of the best-looking devices of its kind out there.

????Yet elegant as Google's (GOOG) veritable mini-Death Star may be, it's lacking when it comes to features. At $299, its many times the price of a Roku LT ($50) or Apple TV ($100) though it does less. Currently, the Nexus Q lets users access Google-related services like Google Play Music, Google Play Movies & TV, and YouTube, but users looking to tap into services like Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Pandora, Spotify, and MLB.TV will be disappointed. Also, streamed music and videos must be purchased from Google Play, while media from non-Google sources must be uploaded to the company's servers first before it can be played back.

????There's another catch: as it stands, you need a phone or tablet loaded with Android 2.3 or above to control the Nexus Q. It doesn't come with a remote of its own like many Roku devices do, and there's no other way to control it. If users are packing an Android device however, set-up is a breeze: download the Nexus Q app from the Google Play store onto the phone or tablet and it quickly communicates with the Nexus Q to get things started.

????What the Nexus Q does do, it does fairly well. We played movies and music for hours, and while there was a noticeable delay getting, say, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon started, high-definition playback was sharp and smooth. Switching between many of the songs that came pre-loaded on our Nexus 7 tablet was also quick and easy. Users have the choice of adjusting volume via the simple Nexus Q app or by rotating the top of the Nexus Q device itself. (Tapping the Nexus Q mutes sound.)

????While the Nexus Q makes for a pretty piece of hardware, it's a device only early-adopting aesthetes will appreciate, and only then to a limited extent given devices for a fraction of the price offer access to more services and fuller content libraries. That may change as Google updates the device on the software side -- hopefully opening it up to third-party services in the process -- but for now, it's little more than a gorgeously crafted curiosity.