Google Launches New Chromecast and Chromecast Audio
Two years after Google launched the Chromecast, a flash drive-shaped device that allows users to beam media content and on-screen activities from smartphones, computers, and tablets to TV and other big screens, the company believes it's time it further expanded in your living room. Enter Chromecast Audio, a device that turns any speaker with an auxiliary input into an Internet-capable device.
Priced at $35 (roughly Rs. 2,300), the Chromecast Audio allows one to stream music to their regular speakers directly from a smartphone or laptop. It is similar to the Motorola Moto Stream portable wireless adapter. It supports high-quality audio, 2 watt RMS and an optional optical digital out that sits in the hybrid port. The company said that the Chromecast Audio doesn't compress audio, assuring the audiophile inside you that the device wouldn't compromise on audio quality. It works with Android and iOS devices, apart from PCs.
The original Chromecast is getting a refresh too. The company has launched the second-generation Chromecast that sees a complete departure from the original's construction. The all new design sees an HDMI cable looped inside a circular Chromecast logo-shaped unit.
The company says that it has upgraded the internal components to make the new Chromecast more capable. There are now three antennas inside the device, and the device supports 5GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi for stutter-free high quality streaming.
It comes with a new feature called "Fast Play," allowing the Chromecast to start a video or audio streaming much quicker to start, once users press the Cast button. The company also announced that developers will now be able to render a game on both your smartphone's screen and the large screen (TV). Also new if the Feeds feature, which can be controlled via the new Chromecast app, letting users choose what content the Chromecast will display on screen when on standby. This ranges from social media feeds, to image feeds.
