Articles about Chromecast

People that know me, know that I am socially awkward. I am useless at a party, and overall, face-to-face human interaction just escapes me. Suffice to say, computers give me an outlet -- I am rather suave on IRC, you see. As a result, I don't have many friends, but regarding the ones I do have, I refuse to give them my Wi-Fi password. These aren't new friends either; I have known some more than 20 years. Quite frankly, I share the password with the family members in my home under protest.

While not everyone is as odd as me, I know I am not alone. Surely there are other nerds that view friends and family with access to the network as weak-links in the security chain. In other words, I don't want some malware-infested machine touching my precious home network. Apparently, Google knows of my woes, as today, the search-giant announces guest mode for Chromecast.

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Just in time for Christmas, Google is introducing family games for Chromecast. The diminutive streaming device is more readily associated with watching YouTube videos, but there are a growing number of apps springing up. The latest additions to the selection are a batch of games which can be enjoyed by the whole family.

What's that? The Chromecast has no controller? Far from being a problem, Google sees this as a big advantage: "there's no hassle or expense with extra controllers. Anyone with a phone or tablet can join in". Just as you use your phone or tablet to control media playback, you can do the same to control games, and the built-in sensors found in many handsets mean they work like Wiimote (or Wii Remote if you will insist on proper terminology).

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As my colleague Brian Fagioli said yesterday when reporting on the launch of Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick, there’s no shortage of streaming devices available to choose from, and knowing which to go for can be tricky.

If you use Chrome, have an Android phone, and love YouTube, then Chromecast is probably for you. If, on the other hand, you are an Amazon Prime member, then the Fire TV Stick is a good choice, especially as it can currently be had for just $19. The Roku Streaming Stick has over a thousand channels to choose from and loads of options. Still not sure which to go for? Let’s take a look at what they all have to offer.

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It seems hard to believe, but Google’s excellent HDMI dongle celebrates its first birthday today. As I’m in the UK, I wasn’t able to get hold of one from the start (even if I had, many of its features wouldn’t have been available to me due to location) but I own one now, and love it.

When my colleague Brian Fagioli reviewed the Chromecast shortly after launch, he called it "greatness in its infancy", meaning the potential was there, but it was limited, thanks mostly to the lack of Chromecast-compatible apps and services. But what a difference a year makes. There are now hundreds of apps on Chromecast, including HBO Go, ESPN, Songza and more, and Google says there are 6,000+ developers actively working on more than 10,000 Google Cast apps across Android, iOS and Chrome. You can browse the full list of available apps here.

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It has been a year since Google released its Chromecast -- a "one last thing" sort of device that was hidden behind the new Nexus 7 announcement. The tiny HDMI dongle has been steadily gaining features, making it compatible with an ever-growing number of services.

But one thing it lacked seemed rather basic -- Android screen mirroring. While we don't know how this slipped through the Google cracks, it has finally made its debut.

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PopcornTime has been in and out of the news. The program uses BitTorrent to grab movies and TVs shows and allows you to stream them right away. The service was initially taken down, but has found a way to come back, and claims those problems are in the past, stating "This PopcornTime service will never be taken down".

Now, in an even bolder move, the service has announced support for Chromecast, Google's tiny TV dongle. "This is the alpha version, so handle with care and let us know what works, what doesn’t, and if you do find something that’s not working properly (hopefully not!!) let us know in our forum and be as specific as possible (also tell us which Windows version you’re running, etc.)", the service announces.

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PlayOn is one of the best cord-cutter services that flies largely under the radar. The online TV and DVR service is completely legal, thanks to the way it operates and, in the past, has partnered with Roku to distribute devices. Now PlayOn and its PlayLater service are going to distribute even more devices to customers.

The company is announcing that new "lifetime subscription" customers will receive a free Chromecast with the purchase. "With Chromecast and PlayOn, smartphones and tablets become powerful remote controls for TV viewing. Users can browse through hundreds of channels and thousands of movies and shows in an easy-to-navigate interface on their mobile device. PlayOn's PlayLater software gives Chromecast users DVR capability to record almost any online video for casting later when they are no longer available online. The included PlayOn browser extension gives users the ability to cast almost any full screen video from any browser on their PC to their TV with ease and without any web browser frames", the company says.

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Many of us grew up with PBS programming, such as Sesame Street. While that show is still around -- it seems it will last forever -- others are now popular with today's youth. But while we may remember a console TV and antenna, today kids expect things like cable and set-top boxes, even smartphones and tablets. Public television is moving on to meet these new needs.

Today PBS Kids announces an expansion of its reach, coming to Apple TV, Android and even Chromecast. Along for the ride, are many of kids' favorite shows, including that old standby, Sesame Street. Big Bird will be joined by others, though, like Daniel Tiger.

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Most everyone, at least the tech-savvy who read this, are familiar with VLC Player -- the Video LAN Client. It's a jack-of-all trades media player, that is capable of handling pretty much any format you can throw at it, no matter how obscure it may be.

Now the developers of the project are revealing one more feature that is on the roadmap -- support for Chromecast. The question was asked on the forums and lead developer Felix Paul Kuehne responded that support was in the works. "Yep, this is exactly what we are up to", he states.

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Last year, in fact, almost one year ago, Google unveiled Chromecast. The tiny HDMI dongle was a surprise addition to the latest Nexus 7 announcement, but launched in the US only. However, over the course of its existence, the company has been slowly rolling it out across other regions.

Now Google is announcing its latest round of nations, telling us "these countries are home to some of the biggest fans of online content in the world, and the smartphone is one of the most popular ways for them to access it".

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PlayOn has become a symbol of the cord-cutting movement, providing customers with access to an array of broadcast stations that can be watched on both the TV and mobile devices. There is a long list of gaming consoles and set-top boxes that support the service, allowing users to get the content to the big screen.

Add to that list one more -- today PlayOn announces full support for Chromecast, the little HDMI dongle from Google. "PlayOn’s support for Chromecast will instantly bring online content from more than 100 channels to Chromecast users including content from CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central and Hulu (no Hulu Plus subscription needed)", the company says.

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Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd. Take me to Best Buy to buy a $35 Chromecast. When Google's dongle was announced, I don't think anyone truly knew how popular it would be.

At first, it seemed like a cool little accessory for watching YouTube or Netflix videos on your TV. Really, that's all that it was. That is, until Google opened up the SDK. Now, the floodgates are open and the sky is the limit. Today, Chromecast scores its biggest win yet, with live casting from MLB.TV.

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The world is a big place, full of many countries. However, the technology community is often very USA-centric. It can be easy to forget that when a product launches in the United States, it does not necessarily launch simultaneously in other countries too.

Google's Chromecast is a great product -- useful and inexpensive, but for Americans it is yesterday's news. We've been using it for several months now. While the streaming-media dongle is still cool, it no longer has that new-car smell. However, the smell is fresh for consumers outside the USA, as Google launches it in eleven more countries, starting today.

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The wires going to my TV look like a giant ball of black spaghetti. I have a TiVo, Blu-Ray player, Chromecast, Wii, Android box and Roku connected. While they all have a unique benefit, much functionality is duplicated. This is frustrating because it can be difficult to pick which device to use. If I want to watch Netflix, I will have to roll a 12-sided die from Dungeons and Dragons to select one of them.

Today, the founders of TiVo announce yet another inexpensive streaming media box -- the Qplay. While it has some unique tricks, it also appears to be a functionality duplicator. Heck, it is arguably just a more expensive Chromecast.

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For many, the ultimate goal on Valentine's Day is to get their significant other in the mood... for romance. There are many ways to do it, such as massages, lighting candles and relaxing on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Unfortunately, most people do not own a fireplace -- they can be expensive and dangerous. After all, Weird Al Yankovic's parents died from one.

Luckily, hope is not lost -- if you don't have a fireplace, there may still be an option. Google has announced that for $35, you can have your own fireplace with romantic music too. How, you ask? Read on.

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