SAN FRANCISCO - Google on Wednesday introduced Nexus Q, touted by the company as the world's first "social streaming media player" which allows consumers to easily share entertainment content with friends and family.

Designed and engineered by Google, Nexus Q is a sphere-shaped device with a diameter of 4.6 inches (116 mm), and can be plugged into speakers and TV sets.

Users can use a smartphone or tablet running on Google's Android platform to surf an ocean of music and video in Google's online store Google Play, and their favorite entertainment can be streamed from the Internet or so-called "cloud" through Nexus Q directly to speakers or TV screens in the room.

The device also enables people at a social gathering to add their own music, movies and videos and choose the content to play, becoming what Google calls a "cloud-connected jukebox."

Google unveiled the product at the company's annual developer conference Google I/O.

Google said consumers can start to pre-order Nexus Q Wednesday from Google's online store at the price of $299.

The product, available first in the United States, will ship in mid-July.