Popcorn Time, also known as Netflix for Pirates, also known as a nightmare for Hollywood and its fight against piracy, has just gotten better for users, or at least for those people who happen to have an Android device. Popcorn Time announced on its blog that it has updated its Android app, adding Chromecast streaming support to the mix. More →
One of the coolest new features for Google’s Chromecast, the ability to mirror the display on your Android smartphone or tablet to a television, is still in beta. That means it’s only available on a select few Android devices, but you can expand the functionality to a much wider range of devices if you’re willing to download the rooted MirrorEnabler SDK. More →
The market for web TV streaming devices is heating up and Roku and Google’s Chromecast look like the big winners so far. Per GigaOM, new data from researchers at Parks Associates estimates that both Chromecast and Roku each have sold around 3.8 million units in the United States over the past year while Apple TV has sold only 2 million units in the U.S. over the same period. This makes a lot of sense because Chromecast and Roku’s new USB dongle are both less expensive than Apple TV, which is supposedly due for a major refresh sometime this year. More →
Google announced on Wednesday on the Official Android Blog that Chromecast owners will now have the ability to mirror the screens of their Android tablets and smartphones to their TVs starting this Wednesday. Whatever you’re doing on your device, from viewing photos and videos to using an app or playing a game, it will be viewable on the TV screen. More →
Popcorn Time – the controversial service offers a Netflix-like movie streaming experience to users interested in pirating movies in a different, more exotic way than traditional downloads – has just gotten better, Business Insider reports. The service now allows Windows users to stream their selections to a Chromecast-connected big-screen television, letting them enjoy new flicks free of charge on a larger display. However, the feature is only available in an alpha version at this point. More →
Forget Wi-Fi for your Chromecast connectivity needs, as Google has found a more interesting way to pair the dongle with nearby devices for streaming purposes, GigaOm reports. The Chromecast team has figured out how to use inaudible ultrasonic sounds to pair the entertainment device with supported smartphones and tablets. More →
Apple’s AirPlay is great, as long as you own plenty of compatible devices. The proprietary wireless streaming solution allows users to stream music and videos from an iPhone, iPad or Mac computer to another device with a simple tap or click. For Apple TV owners and users of various compatible third-party devices, AirPlay is awesome. But what happens if you have a Chromecast, Xbox, PlayStation or some other device that doesn’t tout Apple compatibility? Say hello to AirMusic. More →
Shortly after Google launched its Chromecast dongle in various international markets, a report says the device is quite popular in Europe, singling out U.K. and Norway as top markets for the device. GigaOm says that Curry sold a Chromecast every 4.5 seconds on launch day in the U.K. Some stores sold out the allotted stock on launch day, with one representative calling it “one of the most successful launch days, both online and in-store, in recent years,” comparable with an iPad launch – however, the Chromecast is a significantly more affordable purchase option for consumers. More →
Google on Tuesday confirmed that the Chromecast will be available in other international markets, many more than initially believed. The device will be on sale in an additional 11 countries including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. – recent reports only mentioned France, Germany and U.K. availability for the dongle. More →
Not only will the Amazon “set-top box” look more like a Google Chromecast than an Apple TV, but the device will actually run a version of Android just like Amazon’s tablets when it launches early next month, The Wall Street Journal has learned. Furthermore, the device will carry the “Fire” name the company also uses for its Kindle tablets, although it’s not clear whether that’s the complete name for the device. More →
Google seems ready to start its international Chromecast launch, according to Gigaom, with the U.K., France and Germany apparently being the first markets to get the popular dongle. A Currys employee tweeted a picture of a stack of Chromecast boxes last week, and a leaked screenshot from Dixons revealed the device should be launched on March 19 in the U.K. More →
Google’s senior vice president Sundar Pichai revealed at SXSW that the popular Chromecast dongle will soon be available in international markets. The exec said the device will launch in “many more countries” in a few weeks, The Next Web reports, without specifying the first new markets that will get the device, or actual release dates for them. International prices for the affordable media streaming gadget aren’t available at this time either. More →
Google’s Chrome mobile browser is the best mobile web browser we’ve used and it looks like Google is about to make it even better. DroidLife flags a thread found in Reddit’s Android community that details how Google has added Chromecast support in its latest beta for the mobile version of its Chrome browser. The best thing about the added support, Redditor WhyYouPaul reports, is that it doesn’t just work with YouTube videos but also with other HTML5-based video sites such as Vimeo as well. Chromecasting over the mobile Chrome browser on an Android phone is apparently very buggy and inconsistent so far, but that’s to be expected from an experimental beta feature. Any Chromecast fans interested in trying out the new Chromecast integration can download the latest Chrome beta from the Google Play store.
