A lot more apps have added support for Chromecast now than we had first seen in 2013.
Advertisement
For developers, there is also a fast play option, which allows Chromecast to detect what you’re playing in your browser or app and in the case it is supported it will start beaming the content in background before you start streaming so that you can have a buffer-less experience. Nevertheless, a Chromecast 2 was not mentioned in the Google I/O 2015 keynote.
Chromecast Audio is a small dongle that you can plug into any speaker with a 3.5mm, RCA, or optical audio jack. So you can browse through photographs on your phone, while viewing pictures on your TV, and your browsing photo activity will not be mirrored on your TV.
Google has just announced the new Chromecast, with a funky hockey puck aesthetic and a few improved internals and a hifi-specific Chromecast Audio to make your dumb stereo super-smart.
Chromecast, which debuted in 2013, had about 23 per cent of the market for streaming digital devices in the first quarter of this year, just behind approximately 30 per cent for Amazon’s Fire TV devices and 25 per cent for Roku, according to estimates by Strategy Analytics. Down the line, the device will also support multi-room audio, so you’ll be able to play tunes across your entire home.
And once Audio is set up, friends and family will be able to cast off their devices using guest mode – just open an audio app, select to cast from “nearby device”, follow the prompts and you’re in. No word on when it, or the new Chromecast, will hit in-store retailers. That sounds like a mouthful but it adds up to the fact that the new Chromecast should be easier to send content to than ever before. A new search function to look for Chromecast-compatible content on video apps such as YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies, Hulu Plus, HBO and others could also be in tow.
In addition to the new Chromecast for video, Google announced a new product today called Chromecast Audio. The Chromecast costs $35, plugs into an HDMI port on your TV, and lets you use your phone, tablet, or computer as a remote control. Like a Sonos speaker systems, it can connect with your speakers to apps on your phones and laptops through the Internet.
A new search feature also lets you find programming from across different apps.
Similar to Chromecast 2, it’ll work with iOS and Android devices, Windows laptops and Chromebooks.
Advertisement
The new Chromecast comes in three colors, black, lemonade and coral, and is available starting today in 17 countries.
