Introducing Google Cast, A Chromecast Like Device For 'Audio' Streaming

On Monday, Google announced launch of yet another ground breaking technology called 'Google Cast' for audio, which embeds the same technology behind Chromecast into speakers, sound bars, and A/V receivers. Just like Chromecast, simply tap the cast button in your favorite music or radio app on Android, iOS, or the web, and select a Google Cast Ready speaker to get the party started.

With Google Cast, you can now cast your favorite tunes from your phone, tablet or laptop to your speakers. Google Cast streams your music directly from the cloud instead of from your phone, so you won't lose any sound quality.

And because Google Cast Ready speakers pull content directly from the cloud, so you’ll get the best audio quality and can freely multi-task on your phone, tablet, or laptop, all without straining the battery. These speakers will work with a growing list of apps including Deezer, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio, NPR One, Pandora, Rdio, TuneIn and many more.

The first Google Cast Ready speakers will first be available in the US this spring from lead brands Sony, LG, and HEOS by Denon with more brands coming later in 2015 with the support of chip makers Broadcom, Marvell, MediaTek and system integrator Libre Wireless.These products will join a growing Google Cast ecosystem, which includes more Android TVs, game consoles and set-top boxes.

Google Cast is compatible with WiFi-enabled Android 2.3+ smartphones and tablets; iOS 7.0+ iPhone, iPad, and iPod; Chrome for Mac® and Chrome for Windows® and ChromeOS.

Google Chromecast Officially Comes To India at Rs.2999

Not a big fan of the small screens of your phones, tablets or laptops? Always aspired to watch your favorite serial or movie trailer on a bigger and better screen? Well, Google has finally made your wish come true with its Chromecast making an official debut in India.

The streaming media device connects to an HDTV via the HDMI port and allows the user to stream content from their laptops, tablets or phones to their TV. Chromecast combined with a good broadband connection will make it super easy for users watch their favorite show like Bigg Boss or Comedy Nights with Kapil on a bigger screen. Currently, around 35 percent of people access YouTube on their mobiles and a large number of them keep switching between two to three devices everyday, Chromecast will help these mobile content lovers in bridging the gap between their TV and their devices.

The device will be available in India via Snapdeal starting from today (10 December). The device has been exclusively priced at Rs. 2,999 keeping the Indian audience in mind.

Although, before this official launch Indian users could buy Chromecast device from Amazon and Flipkart but at much higher price which was around Rs.3800-Rs.4200, which because of unavailability in India, used to shipped from US to India. From today onward Chromecast will be available in India itself.

Google will launch the Chromecast in the Indian market as a part of the Great Online Shopping Festival event that will take place from 10-12 December. It has partnered with Snapdeal.com and Airtel in order to bring the Chromecast to the Indian market. This piece of information was tweeted by Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Google India.

Chromecast is very easy to set up and tucks away neatly behind your TV. It can work with iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and ChromeOS devices.  You will not face any difficulty in using the Chromecast for the first time as it taps the same experience of using applications and web that you are familiar with on your phones, laptops or tablets. Chromecast provides you the ability to cast from your Chrome browser, tablet or phone by simply opening the browser or a supported application and pressing the cast icon.

In India, the device currently supports hundreds of applications like Google Play Movies and YouTube etc. It will also run applications from partners like Eros Now, YuppTV  and Spuul.

The device will also be available on selected Airtel stores apart from Snapdeal.

Google Chromecast Officially Comes To India at Rs.2999

Not a big fan of the small screens of your phones, tablets or laptops? Always aspired to watch your favorite serial or movie trailer on a bigger and better screen? Well, Google has finally made your wish come true with its Chromecast making an official debut in India.

The streaming media device connects to an HDTV via the HDMI port and allows the user to stream content from their laptops, tablets or phones to their TV. Chromecast combined with a good broadband connection will make it super easy for users watch their favorite show like Bigg Boss or Comedy Nights with Kapil on a bigger screen. Currently, around 35 percent of people access YouTube on their mobiles and a large number of them keep switching between two to three devices everyday, Chromecast will help these mobile content lovers in bridging the gap between their TV and their devices.

The device will be available in India via Snapdeal starting from today (10 December). The device has been exclusively priced at Rs. 2,999 keeping the Indian audience in mind.

Although, before this official launch Indian users could buy Chromecast device from Amazon and Flipkart but at much higher price which was around Rs.3800-Rs.4200, which because of unavailability in India, used to shipped from US to India. From today onward Chromecast will be available in India itself.

Google will launch the Chromecast in the Indian market as a part of the Great Online Shopping Festival event that will take place from 10-12 December. It has partnered with Snapdeal.com and Airtel in order to bring the Chromecast to the Indian market. This piece of information was tweeted by Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Google India.

Chromecast is very easy to set up and tucks away neatly behind your TV. It can work with iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and ChromeOS devices.  You will not face any difficulty in using the Chromecast for the first time as it taps the same experience of using applications and web that you are familiar with on your phones, laptops or tablets. Chromecast provides you the ability to cast from your Chrome browser, tablet or phone by simply opening the browser or a supported application and pressing the cast icon.

In India, the device currently supports hundreds of applications like Google Play Movies and YouTube etc. It will also run applications from partners like Eros Now, YuppTV  and Spuul.

The device will also be available on selected Airtel stores apart from Snapdeal.

New Mozilla's Firefox OS Dongle at $25 - A Serious Threat to Chromecast

Mozilla and Matchstick announced a new Firefox Operating System powered HDMI dongle on Wednesday. The $25 dongle is being considered as their open-source take on the Chromecast. In an effort to lower the price tag, the HDMI dongle will first be made available through Kickstarter.

A serious threat to Chromecast, Firefox OS powered dongle called 'Matchstick' is essentially a small, WiFi-connected HDMI stick that plugs into your HDTV or HD Monitor that lets you stream and interact with your favorite stuff from the Internet - movies, TV, music, games etc. You can even use it in a conference room to get presentations or other media from your laptop to an HDTV. All in all much similar to what Google's Chromecast offer but its cheaper than Chromecast has open-source software and open-source hardware as well which means now developers can build their your own TV dongle just like Chromecast.

Matchstick is the world's first open source software and open source hardware HDMI streaming dongle. Matchstick provides full hardware design source files for interested developers, device manufacturers and service providers to build their unique TV streaming devices.



Jack Chang, General Manger, Matchstick, US described the HDMI dongle as "essentially an open Chromecast". The device at $25 is still cheaper than Chromecast which is available for $35 in the market. Further, the kickstarter is making the streaming Internet and media stick available at an early bird price of $12 and a regular price of $18.



Matchstick has an initial plan of raising around $100,000. A free shipping of the dongle will be provided in the United States and an additional $5 will be charged for international shipping. The full breakdown for the kickstarter goal amount is as follows:

1) Pledge $2 or more: This donation amount will be used to support the open software and open hardware platform.

2) Pledge $12 or more: The first five hundred units of the HDMI dongle will be made available at this price.

3) Pledge $18 or more: This is the price at which the streaming Internet and media stick will be offered to everyone else during the Kickstarter campaign.

4) Pledge $24 or more: 250 developer units will be offered in prototype. This includes access to all APIs and SDKs and Matchstick team’s developer support.

5) Pledge $34 or more: Two Matchsticks will be made available at this price.

6) Pledge $ 160 or more: 10 Matchsticks will be made available. Extra shipping charges of $10 for International shipping and free shipping in the US.

7) Pledge $ 10,000 or more: Four Matchsticks will be made available at this price along with a bunch of Matchstick swag. On the top of that, a trip for the one who was pledged the amount to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Les Vegas along with a guest. The trip would include a stay at the Venetian, free passes to the CES show, $200 daily spending money, a show one night and a dinner with the team.

The startup is hoping to get the HDMI dongle into the developer hands by November this year and everyone else’s by February next year.

Mozilla is playing a huge role in the Matchstick’s debut since the device runs on the Firefox Operating System. This device is a part of Mozilla’s plan of pushing its OS into more devices than just Smartphones.

Both Mozilla and Matchstick share the same vision about the device: the first streaming stick which is free of any walled garden ecosystem. This vision means the constraints of Google Play doesn’t exist with this HDMI dongle.

New Mozilla's Firefox OS Dongle at $25 - A Serious Threat to Chromecast

Mozilla and Matchstick announced a new Firefox Operating System powered HDMI dongle on Wednesday. The $25 dongle is being considered as their open-source take on the Chromecast. In an effort to lower the price tag, the HDMI dongle will first be made available through Kickstarter.

A serious threat to Chromecast, Firefox OS powered dongle called 'Matchstick' is essentially a small, WiFi-connected HDMI stick that plugs into your HDTV or HD Monitor that lets you stream and interact with your favorite stuff from the Internet - movies, TV, music, games etc. You can even use it in a conference room to get presentations or other media from your laptop to an HDTV. All in all much similar to what Google's Chromecast offer but its cheaper than Chromecast has open-source software and open-source hardware as well which means now developers can build their your own TV dongle just like Chromecast.

Matchstick is the world's first open source software and open source hardware HDMI streaming dongle. Matchstick provides full hardware design source files for interested developers, device manufacturers and service providers to build their unique TV streaming devices.



Jack Chang, General Manger, Matchstick, US described the HDMI dongle as "essentially an open Chromecast". The device at $25 is still cheaper than Chromecast which is available for $35 in the market. Further, the kickstarter is making the streaming Internet and media stick available at an early bird price of $12 and a regular price of $18.



Matchstick has an initial plan of raising around $100,000. A free shipping of the dongle will be provided in the United States and an additional $5 will be charged for international shipping. The full breakdown for the kickstarter goal amount is as follows:

1) Pledge $2 or more: This donation amount will be used to support the open software and open hardware platform.

2) Pledge $12 or more: The first five hundred units of the HDMI dongle will be made available at this price.

3) Pledge $18 or more: This is the price at which the streaming Internet and media stick will be offered to everyone else during the Kickstarter campaign.

4) Pledge $24 or more: 250 developer units will be offered in prototype. This includes access to all APIs and SDKs and Matchstick team’s developer support.

5) Pledge $34 or more: Two Matchsticks will be made available at this price.

6) Pledge $ 160 or more: 10 Matchsticks will be made available. Extra shipping charges of $10 for International shipping and free shipping in the US.

7) Pledge $ 10,000 or more: Four Matchsticks will be made available at this price along with a bunch of Matchstick swag. On the top of that, a trip for the one who was pledged the amount to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Les Vegas along with a guest. The trip would include a stay at the Venetian, free passes to the CES show, $200 daily spending money, a show one night and a dinner with the team.

The startup is hoping to get the HDMI dongle into the developer hands by November this year and everyone else’s by February next year.

Mozilla is playing a huge role in the Matchstick’s debut since the device runs on the Firefox Operating System. This device is a part of Mozilla’s plan of pushing its OS into more devices than just Smartphones.

Both Mozilla and Matchstick share the same vision about the device: the first streaming stick which is free of any walled garden ecosystem. This vision means the constraints of Google Play doesn’t exist with this HDMI dongle.

Complete Digest to new announcements made at Google I/O event

Google I/O wasn’t an event to be missed but if due to some reason you couldn’t tune into the action, there is nothing to worry at all. As we at IndianWeb2 bring to you a complete list of all the important things that were announced at the conference.

Around 6,000 developers attended 7th annual Google I/O developer conference. The crowd in San Francisco was joined by millions more watching on the livestream and 597 I/O Extended events, in 90+ countries on six continents.

Google estimated that more than 20 billion text messages sent every day. 1.5 trillion steps taken with an Android. And more importantly, a roughly estimated 93 million selfies.

This year Google brought loads of things in Android, apps, new chrome features etc. Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome & apps addresses the event along with and reveal interesting initiatives Google is taking up from this year onwards, this includes few interesting devices and Android wearable gadgets as well.

Below are all major announcements Google made at Google I/O event:

Android One

The annual developer conference started with the announcement of the Android One initiative. It is a program that aims at providing guidelines to those manufacturing Smartphones for the developing market so as to give a unified Android experience.

This initiative allows the internet giant the right to dictate some minimum hardware requirements for manufacturers all around the globe.

Under this initiative, Google has decided to partner with Indian handset-makers Spice, Micromax and Karbonn to launch $100 (Rs.6,000) Smartphones. Some of these Smartphones are expected to be launched in early September.

Android Auto

Android Auto is completely voice enabled and has been manufactured so as to help the developers. It does so by creating a seamless and safe solution for using connected devices while driving.

Android Auto works by connecting the driver’s Smartphone to a compatible car, its UI then displays on the car’s screen with quick shortcuts to location searches, navigation and suggestions. It also has a feature which enables the driver to send and receive text messages while driving by using the voice command features.

The Android Auto will be made available to the masses later this year. For this, the tech giant has partnered with over 40 companies which include Porsche and Hyundai.

Bringing work and play together

The tech giant also announced Android for Work program at the I/O event. It is a unique program which lets the app live in one place. It gives a wonderful opportunity to the user to connect his or her work with personal life into one single device.

Microsoft Office editing has become possible in the Google Docs due to Android from Work. Google in addition to this also announced a premium Google Drive for enterprise customers which will offer unlimited storage for $10 per month per use.

L Developer Preview  

The upcoming Android L release supports Material Design which is a new cross platform User Interface. It makes available the app developers with more precise tools so as to make customized typography, color and grid changes.

Material Design makes it possible for designers to add smooth animations at 60 fps using a prototyping tool, Polymer. Further, in order to help the designers in building a consistent feel and look, it has added a guideline.

In order to make developers learn a thing or two about battery life, Google also launched Project Volta. It will help them in identifying battery discharge patterns so as to increase the overall consumption.

With a 64-bit compatibility and a new Android Extension Pack to back 3D graphics, Google openly boosted about the L’s enhanced performance. Google has also ensured the best of security for L.

Android Wear

Google demonstrated its Android Wear at the Google I/O event. Users can swipe across Google Now Cards and supported applications from the paired Smartphone by using its touchscreen User Interface.

In order to create reminders, notes, alarms and more, the users can make use of the “Ok Google” prompt. Material design is also in attendance in this wearable platform.

A wearable counterpart is installed on the Smartwatch whenever the user installs an app from the Play store on their Smartphone. This is ensures that all the features are synced immediately.

The Moto360, LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are some of the Android Wear equipped products. Out of these, Samsung and LG are currently available in the Play store.

Google Cloud



Google also announced improvements to its Google Cloud engine. Developers can debug a live application which is running on hundred of servers using this platform. In addition, they can also set alerts or reminders to monitor performance of various events.

Appurify, which is a mobile test automation service, has been acquired by Google in order to optimize app testing and building.

The tech giant also introduced Cloud Dataflow, which will let the user create data pipelines for ingesting large data sets.

Android TV



Putting all the rumors to rest, Google finally unveiled its Android TV. Google with its Android TV has tried to combine all entertainment into one device. The TV lets the user watch live TV or stream content like cast information and related YouTube clips. The TV also promises a fluid search experience to the user.

The Android TV will be a joyride for casual gamers. Google supports games on the new TV and this gives the gamers a great chance to engage in their favorite mobile games on the big television screen.

Chromebook gets Android Apps

Now you can unlock Chromebooks with the help of your phone, this feature is similar to the new L update which permits the user to unlock their phone when using context and location.

To provide its users with a continuous experience, Android will now be sending notifications directly to the Chromebooks. Some selected Android apps have been made compatible on the Chromebook.

Google Play

Google Play now has a Games Profile feature with the saved games section. The section will have a screencap of the user’s game progress and leader boards. In order to encourage the gamers to set goals, it now has “Quests”.

Users will now be able to have a direct carrier billing for tablets which will let them charge everything at one place.

Chromecast Update

The much needed Chromecast update is here. Now, you no longer have to be on the same Wi-Fi network to cast content to Chromecast. You can search the nearby devices and connect via the cloud.

A backdrop feature has also been added which permits background photo customization by drawing photos from the user’s library.

Google Fit

The conference also saw the launch of Google Fit. It is an open, multi-OS API platform for fitness related apps and devices. Google Fit is very similar to the recently announced Apple’s HealthKit.

Google Fit assembles all of the user’s fitness data into one single place. Google Fit has partners in  Withings, Adidas and Nike.

Complete Digest to new announcements made at Google I/O event

Google I/O wasn’t an event to be missed but if due to some reason you couldn’t tune into the action, there is nothing to worry at all. As we at IndianWeb2 bring to you a complete list of all the important things that were announced at the conference.

Around 6,000 developers attended 7th annual Google I/O developer conference. The crowd in San Francisco was joined by millions more watching on the livestream and 597 I/O Extended events, in 90+ countries on six continents.

Google estimated that more than 20 billion text messages sent every day. 1.5 trillion steps taken with an Android. And more importantly, a roughly estimated 93 million selfies.

This year Google brought loads of things in Android, apps, new chrome features etc. Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome & apps addresses the event along with and reveal interesting initiatives Google is taking up from this year onwards, this includes few interesting devices and Android wearable gadgets as well.

Below are all major announcements Google made at Google I/O event:

Android One

The annual developer conference started with the announcement of the Android One initiative. It is a program that aims at providing guidelines to those manufacturing Smartphones for the developing market so as to give a unified Android experience.

This initiative allows the internet giant the right to dictate some minimum hardware requirements for manufacturers all around the globe.

Under this initiative, Google has decided to partner with Indian handset-makers Spice, Micromax and Karbonn to launch $100 (Rs.6,000) Smartphones. Some of these Smartphones are expected to be launched in early September.

Android Auto

Android Auto is completely voice enabled and has been manufactured so as to help the developers. It does so by creating a seamless and safe solution for using connected devices while driving.

Android Auto works by connecting the driver’s Smartphone to a compatible car, its UI then displays on the car’s screen with quick shortcuts to location searches, navigation and suggestions. It also has a feature which enables the driver to send and receive text messages while driving by using the voice command features.

The Android Auto will be made available to the masses later this year. For this, the tech giant has partnered with over 40 companies which include Porsche and Hyundai.

Bringing work and play together

The tech giant also announced Android for Work program at the I/O event. It is a unique program which lets the app live in one place. It gives a wonderful opportunity to the user to connect his or her work with personal life into one single device.

Microsoft Office editing has become possible in the Google Docs due to Android from Work. Google in addition to this also announced a premium Google Drive for enterprise customers which will offer unlimited storage for $10 per month per use.

L Developer Preview  

The upcoming Android L release supports Material Design which is a new cross platform User Interface. It makes available the app developers with more precise tools so as to make customized typography, color and grid changes.

Material Design makes it possible for designers to add smooth animations at 60 fps using a prototyping tool, Polymer. Further, in order to help the designers in building a consistent feel and look, it has added a guideline.

In order to make developers learn a thing or two about battery life, Google also launched Project Volta. It will help them in identifying battery discharge patterns so as to increase the overall consumption.

With a 64-bit compatibility and a new Android Extension Pack to back 3D graphics, Google openly boosted about the L’s enhanced performance. Google has also ensured the best of security for L.

Android Wear

Google demonstrated its Android Wear at the Google I/O event. Users can swipe across Google Now Cards and supported applications from the paired Smartphone by using its touchscreen User Interface.

In order to create reminders, notes, alarms and more, the users can make use of the “Ok Google” prompt. Material design is also in attendance in this wearable platform.

A wearable counterpart is installed on the Smartwatch whenever the user installs an app from the Play store on their Smartphone. This is ensures that all the features are synced immediately.

The Moto360, LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are some of the Android Wear equipped products. Out of these, Samsung and LG are currently available in the Play store.

Google Cloud



Google also announced improvements to its Google Cloud engine. Developers can debug a live application which is running on hundred of servers using this platform. In addition, they can also set alerts or reminders to monitor performance of various events.

Appurify, which is a mobile test automation service, has been acquired by Google in order to optimize app testing and building.

The tech giant also introduced Cloud Dataflow, which will let the user create data pipelines for ingesting large data sets.

Android TV



Putting all the rumors to rest, Google finally unveiled its Android TV. Google with its Android TV has tried to combine all entertainment into one device. The TV lets the user watch live TV or stream content like cast information and related YouTube clips. The TV also promises a fluid search experience to the user.

The Android TV will be a joyride for casual gamers. Google supports games on the new TV and this gives the gamers a great chance to engage in their favorite mobile games on the big television screen.

Chromebook gets Android Apps

Now you can unlock Chromebooks with the help of your phone, this feature is similar to the new L update which permits the user to unlock their phone when using context and location.

To provide its users with a continuous experience, Android will now be sending notifications directly to the Chromebooks. Some selected Android apps have been made compatible on the Chromebook.

Google Play

Google Play now has a Games Profile feature with the saved games section. The section will have a screencap of the user’s game progress and leader boards. In order to encourage the gamers to set goals, it now has “Quests”.

Users will now be able to have a direct carrier billing for tablets which will let them charge everything at one place.

Chromecast Update

The much needed Chromecast update is here. Now, you no longer have to be on the same Wi-Fi network to cast content to Chromecast. You can search the nearby devices and connect via the cloud.

A backdrop feature has also been added which permits background photo customization by drawing photos from the user’s library.

Google Fit

The conference also saw the launch of Google Fit. It is an open, multi-OS API platform for fitness related apps and devices. Google Fit is very similar to the recently announced Apple’s HealthKit.

Google Fit assembles all of the user’s fitness data into one single place. Google Fit has partners in  Withings, Adidas and Nike.