In June, Google engineers took to the stage in front of thousands of cheering software developers to introduce the Nexus Q, a black ball meant to stream video and music. It was Google’s first try at building its own hardware — in the United States, no less — and Google called it “a third wave of consumer electronics.”

But last week, just five weeks after the introductory pomp at the annual developers' conference, Google indefinitely postponed shipment of the device. Though Google was hardly betting the company on the Q, the failure reveals deeper challenges for the Internet search giant as it tries to move into two new areas: hardware and social technology.