By: Ricky Ramirez
Google’s Chromecast released on July 24th, 2013. This affordable streaming device for televisions quickly became a hot seller, and of course, I had to buy one. At first, only a few developers gave apps the ability to cast images and video to your TV via Chromecast. Luckily, Netflix and Hulu were two of those apps. At the time, that was all I needed. The ability to watch a movie on my phone and cast it straight to my TV in 1080p resolution was plenty for me. It wasn’t long before Google opened up developer options on a wider spectrum, and more and more apps came with casting abilities. Spotify, Pandora, and iHeartRadio were some popular apps that allowed you to play music through your TV setup, along with album artwork and metadata. On September 29th, 2015, Google launched a newer, faster version of its Chromecast. They also added a new music device, the 
Chromecast audio. The newer units offered faster boot up speeds, added GHz WiFi, and the Chromecast audio allowed you to stream directly to a home theater, or home audio system strictly for music. The wow factor for the Chromecast audio is that it allowed high fidelity audio through the device for all the audiophiles to enjoy. You could even pair multiple Chromecast audios and have music playing at multiple sources, similar to what Sonos is doing with their Play series speakers. With all these features packed into a small, hockey puck shaped device that fits in the palm of your hand, you would think the price would be very high. However, both Chromecast models retail for thirty five dollars and usually offer specials deals just for purchasing. Currently, you can activate a Spotify premium account and get the first sixty days free. Google has even allowed games to be cast to TV sets, including Angry Birds Go! Both Chromecast units work with iOS, Android, and Windows phones. However, Windows phone users are limited to only a few apps that focus on either YouTube or your own personal library of videos and images. With the amount of apps currently working with Chromecast, the little dongle that could makes a great gift for anyone looking to enjoy content on a budget.
The Nerdery 