Nexus Q gets a new lease on life with unofficial Android 4.4 build

It is almost like a sighting of the walking, or in this case, rolling, dead. The most ignored and misunderstood member of the Nexus line has just gotten a chance to keep on rolling via an unofficial ROM that brings Android 4.4 to Google's Nexus Q.

The Nexus Q is an odd ball, both literally and figuratively. Google is almost notorious for putting out public experiments of its products but the Nexus Q is probably the first that crossed the boundaries of Internet service to physical retail product. The Nexus Q is a media streaming entertainment device, which sort of makes it the predecessor of the Chromecast, that has, unfortunately, failed to gain traction and was eventually abandoned and almost forgotten.

Of course, those who have had the chance to own one cannot so easily forget this round oddity and have had to resort to other channels for more up-to-date support. Luckily, others, like CyanogenMod, have taken up the cause. Now a newer image is available for the Nexus Q bearing the chocolatey goodness of Android 4.4 KitKat.

Not everything is working perfectly in this build, which is still labeled as experimental. WLAN connection and audio still have a few kinks left to be ironed out. But considering Google has officially turned its back on the Nexus Q, owners might have no other recourse left unless they want to stay with the stock Android 4.0.