Google Chromecast unboxing
After an agonizingly long wait, my Google Chromecast finally arrived from Amazon. (Along with it, I was lucky enough to get a code for three months of free Netflix – score!) Naturally, I ran to my home office and unboxed the much sought-after dongle. You can see all of that in the video above, but I’m sure most of you are actually more interested in how the thing actually works.
Put simply, it’s awesome. While Google has long attempted to gain traction in American living rooms (first with Google TV, and later with the failed Nexus Q), I think this little gadget actually gives Google a shot at success. The reasons are:
- It’s cheap.
- It’s really easy to set up.
- Users don’t have to learn anything new, since it already interacts with and is controlled by users’ phones, tablets, and computers.
- It’s cheap.
- It’s really easy for developers to get their apps ready for Chromecast, simply by adding a few lines of code, instead of starting over from the ground up.
- Did I mention it’s cheap?
Chromecast is already getting rave reviews from reviewers and users alike, and even if it’s not as powerful or robust as some of the other solutions out there, Google seems to have hit the sweet spot in regards to ease of use and price.
I also imagine that this might be part of Google’s secret plans to offer an online TV streaming service in the near future that will undercut cable and satellite providers. When you think about it, it makes sense – get a cheap dongle in America’s living rooms, and then provide cheap TV over the internet. I think there’s going to be more to Chromecast than what initially hits the eye.
Keep reading Pocketables for more of my experiences with this nifty little device – I’ll be sure to cover all the new apps that become available, along with showing you some tips and tricks that I’ve already stumbled across. I have a feeling that this is going to be a lot of fun.
