CHROMECAST BY GOOGLE

GOOGLE’S NEW ONLINE STREAMING DONGLE

PROS

Price - At $35, it's a steal. With 3 months of Netflix for free (see UPDATE), the price is Nuts! You'll essentially be paying $11! What does all that mean? Google is not interested in making money on the device! So what might they possibly be interested in? Software baby! It's all about the software.

Features - It's small and compact and works with your iOS and Android phones and tablets. In addition, it will work with you Mac or PC running the Chrome Browser. (iPhone and iPad support is still in development as of this posting)

Ease of use – you simply plug it into your HDTV’s HDMI port and control it from your hand-held device or computer. Does this mean it will work with any display device that can work with a HDMI port (like a HDMI adapter attached to a non-HD TV)? I don’t see why not. You would be surprised at the number of people who still use CRT TV sets!

Content – Netflix, YouTube, online videos. Need I say more? The first two services comprise 75% of all online viewing in my home. Will this device play well with Hulu or Crackle as long as I am viewing the content from a Chrome Browser? There's no indication it won't.

CONS

You have to charge it up using a mini-USB port as with your cell phone. So the obvious question is how often will you need to charge it up and how long that charge last? Americans watch a lot of TV and if this dongle holds a change for less than 4 hours of continuous use, it may not jive well with Netflix & Hulu binge watchers. If I were coming into this market, that’s the audience I would be designing such a device for. (That tidbit is for free Google!).


CONCLUSION

Roku took a stab at this concept with their Roku Streaming Stick but the problem is that it only works with a select few HDMI TV's and devices, and that hasn't fared well with consumers; we're all about cross platform applications. And at $99 a pop, the price tag does not help Roku's case either.

Chromecast takes a direct shot at Apples AirPlay and Roku's other quite popular streaming boxes. Google isn't stopping there either as in recent months, it's been trying to cut deals with media houses and Cable TV networks in an effort to become the next great option for cable-cutters. If this small device is a picture of things to come, TV networks will have to start thinking seriously about improving their online offerings even though it's harder making money that way. Cable TV still holds the reins but they had better not fall into the trap of waiting too long to adapt. Case in point? Kodak. In fact (another free tidbit) if there are struggling network stations out there in the Cable TV stratosphere, here's you chance to jump-start your brand and get ahead of the curve, right?



UPDATE (5pm Central Time,

7/25/2013)
According to the LA Times, Google is already ending the 3-Free months Netfilx Promotion!!! Already? After ONE day? Wow! They say it's due to overwhelming demand.

Here's my take on that: With technology, it's never wise to buy the first release of anything, at least not until people have tested it out for a few months. So I would not be dissapointed if you've missed out on the promo. There are going to be quite a few kinks and bugs that Google is going to have to fix and that is good for them (huge initial user base) and for us who wait until they work on perfecting this intriguing product.