During its recently held San Francisco press event, Google has unveiled one of its latest products, the new Chromecast. This innovative video-streaming device might just be the search engine giant's future in television.
Two years ago, Google has sold 20 million of its original Chromecast. The Chromecast started out as a simple streaming stick and now its newest model turns into a groundbreaking device. Chromecast 2 is a media-streaming tool that supports modern WiFi standards, which is paired with the latest Chromecast Audio.
The Chromecast Audio turns home speakers into cast-enabled, WiFi-connected audio devices. It has an 8mm jack that can be plugged directly into a speaker system wirelessly. One great feature of the dongle is its affordability. Google has just priced it at $35 and is now available in Google Store.
However, the question still remains: is Google's future in television in Chromecast or Android televisions? With the invention of the new Chromecast, it seems that Google is forging ahead with Android TV. One is a platform with its own interface, while the other is interface-free. The only thing that distinguishes these two is the software ecosystem and experience. But at some point, they might just merge.
According to The Verge, they had an interview with Mario Queiroz, Vice President of Product Management at Google; he sees the two different platforms as complementary and not as competitive. However, he thinks the way people are going to be consuming media is "starting from their smartphones."
Nevertheless, this is Google's huge play in television. Instead of dealing with more logins, waving remote control at the big screen, and downloading more applications, the search engine giant connects the user's world through a state-of-the-art device, the Chromecast. Living rooms are once dominated by set-top boxes, and now by USB-style sticks powered by smartphone or tablet guts.
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