FCC Issues Briefly Remove Nexus Player from Google Play Store

Last week, Google unveiled the Nexus Player, a round hunk of plastic that’s powered by its new Android TV media operating system. It was slated to be available for pre-order on Friday, October 17, with a ship date of November 3. At some point that day, Google removed the device from the Play Store…only to add it back shortly thereafter. What happened?

According to a post on AndroidPolice, the Nexus Player had failed to earn approval from the FCC, a necessary requirement before a company in the United States sells an electronic device. Then, says 9to5Google, the Player was added back onto the Play Store just this past weekend, though the store says that they’re “out of inventory.” The same goes for the $40 Gamepad for Nexus Player. As to whether or not they’re out of stock due to more FCC shenanigans or if they’re simply all accounted for isn’t entirely clear.

One of the things that was strange to me about the whole situation is that at about 5 o’clock on Friday, I was hanging out in a Starbucks in Astoria, NY, taking a break from my travels to do a little work and drink some coffee. “Hey,” I said, “I can pre-order that Nexus Player now!” I jumped onto the pre-order page, added a Nexus Player and Gamepad to my cart, and bought both, receiving confirmation that my order had gone through. It was only a day or so later that I began to see stories about the FCC hiccup. After checking my order, the November 3 ship date had changed to November 14. Aside from that, however, I never received any hint that there was an issue with my order.

So did I snag my stuff during the window before the Player and Gamepad were pulled? Or after they were brought back? Is the delayed ship date accurate, or just a placeholder while Google gets its Nexus Player ducks back in a row? I suppose I’ll find out within the next few weeks.

[Sources: AndroidPolice and 9to5Google]