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Today was a day full of announcements from Google, which included a new Google Nexus 7 and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. But one of the most interesting announcements came in the small form of the Google Chromecast.The Chromecast is a tiny dongle which you can attach to your TV HDMI port and allows you to control your TV from a range of Android, iOS devices or a Windows or Mac computer which is running Google Chrome.
Once you have found an available HDMI port on your computer and connected your Chromecast to it, ensure your controlling device and Chromecast are on the same network. The YouTube for Android app and the YouTube website will offer options to broadcast content from your controlling device to your Chromecast and allow you to enjoy your media on the larger TV display. Google also demonstrated the ability to enjoy Netflix movies or Pandora music on your TV and surround speakers through Chromecast. You can even enjoy your Google Play content through Chromecast
Google will offer developers the ability to Chromecast their own content. Chromecast will be available for Android and iOS devices and for computers running the Chrome web browser, but Windows Phones and Windows RT tablets are currently left out as Google has chosen not to support these platforms yet.
While apps on Android and iOS will be limited to those developers who add support for Chromecast, the web browser on your Mac and Windows computers offers limitless opportunities. Google will add the ability to stream your Chrome tabs to your TV, which means photos, videos and content you are browsing on your computer can be streamed through Chromecast. Google Cast for Chrome is still in beta, but you can download it using the following link and try it out now.
Obviously the most important component is the device itself, which is current priced at an ultra affordable $35 and can be purchased on the Google Play Store starting today by using the following link.
Additionally Chromecast comes bundled with three months of free Netflix, which should allow your to catch up on popular movies and TV shows you like. Chromecast will also be available through most major retailers from July 28th.