Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Google opens Chromecast up to developers

The hit Android accessory of 2013 was, by far, Google’s Chromecast. The little wireless streaming dongle took much of the hassle out of sending Internet-based content to your TV. At $35, it was also a bargain that made it a no-brainer for many. Unfortunately, there was a slight downside in the fact that only certain companies could pair up with Google to release apps and websites that were able to cast to the Chromecast. Now that’s changing. Today Google announced that the Google Cast SDK, the magic behind the Chromecast, is to be freely released for developers.

In essence, this simply means that we’re going to see more apps and websites taking advantage of the Chromecast. Perhaps now that this hurdle is cleared, we’ll see major services like Spotify support the Chromecast. This also opens up the door to innovative new ways of using the Chromecast such as AllCast, a simple way to cast your own photos and videos to media devices like the Chromecast. In any case, we’re excited about this.

How about you guys? Are you looking forward to this?