手里只有谷歌，生活将会怎样

    坏的一面：Chromebook还算多少有点用处，但Nexus Q却彻头彻尾地令人失望。这个售价高达299美元的机顶盒或许的确是在美国本土生产的，而且它的设计也很漂亮，容易成为人们谈论的焦点。但是实际上，它是我的卧室里最没用的设备。【就连我的任天堂（Nintendo）3DS的用处都比它大。】我可以用它连接到谷歌音乐播放器、谷歌电影（Google Play Movies & TV）和YouTube等服务，但也就仅此而已了。没法收看Netflix、Hulu、Pandora，也没法看Roku LT（售价50美元）和Apple TV（售价100美元）上的所有其它服务。更令人头疼的是，所有的流媒体音乐和视频必须从Google Play电子市场里购买，所有其他来源的媒体资源必须先上传到谷歌的服务器里，然后才能播放。

    作为一个一年多以前就告别了有线电视的人，我得完全依赖电脑或Roku机顶盒来收看Netflix、Hulu或Amazon Prime即时视频的内容。要指出的是，这些都是非常普遍的服务。但现在，我唯一的选择就是掏钱在谷歌购买电影和电视剧，这笔花费着实不便宜，因此我在第三天就放弃了。尽管我很喜欢在家边看电影边吃爆米花，但现在我能看的免费电影只有一部《变形金刚3：月黑之时》，没过多久我就厌烦了。

    谷歌现在似乎已经充分意识到了这个问题。现在谷歌已经无限期地推迟了Nexus Q的正式发布，以“使它变得更好”。

    总结：完全生活在谷歌的世界里，至少像我这一周的生活，还是有利有弊的。整整一个礼拜使用Nexus 7平板和Galaxy Nexus手机并没有像我想象的那样给我的生活带来多大变化。事实上，如果Nexus 7提供3G或4G版的话，我还是愿意买一台的。与此同时，谷歌今年升级了它的Chrome OS操作系统，足以为那些想要一头扎进“云”世界里的笔记本发烧友提供一个不错的替代选择。

    至于Nexus Q呢？我只能说，那些LED灯亮起来还真挺漂亮。

    *至于工作邮件，我还是偶尔会用黑莓（BlackBerry）来处理。

    译者：朴成奎

    THE BAD: Where the Chromebook felt capable yet limited, the Nexus Q proved an exercise in frustration.At $299, this pricey digital media hub may be made here in the U.S.A, and sure, it's a beautifully designed conversation starter if there ever was one, but in the end, it proved to be the least useful device in my living room. (Heck, my Nintendo (NTDOY) 3DS does more.) I could access Google services like Google Play Music, Google Play Movies & TV, and YouTube, but that's it. No Netflix, Hulu, or Pandora (P), all of which you can get on the Roku LT ($50) or Apple TV ($100) -- and then some. Even more of a pain, streamed music and videos must be purchased from Google Play, and media from non-Google sources must be uploaded to the company's servers first before it can be played back.

    As someone who cut the cable cord over a year ago, I rely entirely on my computer or Roku box to get content from Netflix, Hulu, sometimes Amazon Prime Instant Video, all of which I should point out are common enough services. Instead, my only option was to buy movies and TV episodes a la carte -- an expensive proposition I gave up on after Day Three. And while I'm a popcorn flicks junkie, I could only watch so much of Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, the one free movie, before I grew tired.

    For its part, it seems Google is fully aware of the problem: the company postponed the Nexus Q's official launch indefinitely "to make it even better."

    THE VERDICT: Living in Google's world, at least the way I did, came with its own unique set of pros and cons. Going the entire week with the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus wasn't the big adjustment I thought it would be. In fact, I'd pick up a Nexus 7 if 3G or 4G connectivity were an option. Meanwhile, Google beefed up Chrome OS just enough this year to make it a solid alternative for laptop enthusiasts ready to dive head-first into the cloud.

    As for the Nexus Q? Well, those LED light shows sure were pretty.

    *For work email, I use a BlackBerry, which I went back to on occasion.