Talking tech since 2003

Have your heart set on the next generation of Google devices? In the case of the Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus Player set-top box, you can purchase both starting today; each has gone up for sale on the Google Play Store, according to Android Police.

nexus-9Upon checking the Play Store out, I found that the Nexus 9 is indeed selling; its entry-level $399 model is in stock and is  ready to ship out in 1-2 business days. It seems, however, that LTE models of the device aren’t available yet — instead, they’re listed as “Coming Soon.”

The Nexus Player is on sale in the Play Store, too, though it’s going to take you a bit longer to receive that device than a Nexus 9 — according to the official product page, you can purchase the $99 box, but it won’t ship out for 2-3 weeks. It seems Google either didn’t anticipate the demand the Nexus Player would have, or simply chose not to make a whole lot of them. Either way, Google’s supply of Nexus 9 tablets seems to be much, much healthier than the Players stock at this point.

And good news for the impatient: the Nexus 9 will be selling at Best Buy locations, too. The Nexus Player, unfortunately, will not.

To be honest, I don’t find the Nexus 9 all that alluring. It’s an Android tablet in a world full of Android tablets. Someone really needs to shake that space up and make it exciting again, and if Google is insisting on putting out its own branded devices under the Nexus flag, it should be the company that leads the charge.

The Nexus Player really is what really intrigues me. If Google can knock Roku off as the most versatile set-top box on the market, it’ll be on to something. I think a big part of that will have to do with apps. The other part will have to do with gaming. Google is selling a game controller for the Nexus Player, not unlike the controller Amazon sells for its Fire TV. If Google can make even a small dent in the home console game with the Nexus Player, things could get very interesting.

Do you plan on picking up a Nexus 9 or a Nexus Player? Let us know.

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