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Hyped as the "first social streaming media player," Nexus Q made its curious debut at Google's Nexus tablet launch in July. A spherical black device, the mysterious Q was designed to stream music, movies and other entertainment via Google Play and YouTube to your HDTV, an AV receiver or a pair of bookshelf speakers. Visiting friends toting Android devices could control what's playing on your Nexus Q, and even add their selections to Q's playlist.

But things got weird in October when Google shelved the device without an explanation. Was the Q's $299 price too steep for a media streamer? Did it have insurmountable technical glitches? Did it look too much like a Magic 8 Ball? Despite the Q's weird, brief history, it has retained its landing page on Google Play, which ominously states: "This device is not for sale at this time."

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