So... I have the chromecast since about a month and if I wanted to write the review in one sentence, it would be "You won't use it a lot but it is an added weapon in your 'tech arsenal'(kind of like the ejector seat in James Bond's Aston Martin)"If you guys don't know what the chromecast is, it is basically a very tiny(2.8 x 1.4 x 0.5 inches) device that streams youtube videos and netflix movies directly from your wifi network.
The main advantages of this are:
- It is small in size, it is so tiny that you will even forget you have it in one of the HDMI ports of your TV.
- Easy to setup
- Open source
- Works with chrome, android and iOS
- It doesn't hog up your device's battery life.
- Your device is just the remote, this means that the video doesn't get downloaded to your device. Instead, the device just sends the commands to the chromecast.
- It costs just 35$. Yup, you read it right, 35$.
- Google opened the Google Cast SDK for public so now, there will be no shortage of apps and you can even cast your local data as of 03/02/2014.
- You can cast a tab from chrome or even share your laptop's screen on a projector without any cables.
The setup procedure:
- Plug it into one of the HDMI ports, plug into power with the help of adapter
- Go to google.com/chromecast and follow the steps. It should take no longer than 3 minutes(5 minutes on the max).
- All done, now all you have to do if you have an Android device is, go to the Play store, search for "chromecast" and you will have to install an app by Google.
- After installing the app, open it, accept the terms and conditions and you SHOULD see your chromecast if they are on the same WiFi network.
- Open the youtube application, you will see a 'cast' icon in the top right corner of the screen, tap on it and you will see a list of chromecasts on your WiFi network. Just select one, play a video, sit back on your couch and relax!
Okay, so here are the disadvantages:
- HAS to be always on(you cannot turn it on remotely)
- It is much more convenient to watch the video on your phone or tablet than to turn on your tv and go to the living room just to watch a 10 minute video.
- Can have problems if you use a dual band Wifi router.
So, that's it guys, hope to see you soon again!
I purchased two of these devices and would love my money back basically this is a method of developing business by attempting to leverage the consumer base to charge vendors to integrate the product which the consumer pays for, LOL this is a bad deal all around and will end up in the ditch of other Google Failures.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree. It is not at all a bad deal for 35$
Delete@ Thomas, well ye might as well ask for a refund on all the other devices that use this business model. Yes you pay for the device yes you pay for the services, that will appear, but you are USING the services! Plus you don't have to pay for these services ether, just what you want, its all content driven !
ReplyDeleteIts not a bad deal, this thing is great for people like me who bought at TV just before the 'smart tv' revolution' I wanted this device for NETFLIX as my tv doesn't have it. And if more services come on, the better, plus you don't have to use/pay those services ! Exactly what I need ! An even better way for this to work out is if you are on the road a lot for business plug this into your hotel rooms' tv and connect to the wifi, bang instant NETFLIX!