Over the past few years, we’ve seen numerous streaming TV technologies emerge, most of them similar to one another, with small-ish boxes synced to your TV, giving you access to web content, typically YouTube, Netflix, and others. Apple TV, Roku, and others work well, but are tied to your home TVs.
Roku developed a portable version with their Streaming Stick, a $99 dongle allowing you to access web TV content on TVs anywhere with Internet access.
However, that Roku product has not been a huge, mainstream device. With Google’s launch of Chromecast, you can now access some of that great web content: YouTube, Netflix, etc, for … wait for it… $35!! For that price you could buy 2, one for home and one for your business / leisure trips to use in your hotels.
Obviously, when plugging the device in to your hotel’s TV, you’ll need to have wifi access, which is typically commonplace at all hotels, and even motels, inns, bed & breakfasts, and even the zimmers in Israel.
In terms of usability, you can control the device with your mobile phone, tablet, you name it. According to Hillel Fuld, it supports: It supports Android, iOS, Windows on the PC, OSx, Chrome OS and even Windows Phone 8, which means you don’t need a remote, since it’s already in your pocket.
On top of all the video content you’ll be able to consume, this little device comes packed with Google’s Chrome web browser. Pretty awesome, especially if you want to leave your laptop at home.
ORDER: Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player.
[…] [Another new Google product (Chromecast) is also great for travelers] […]
Is there a way for it to connect to WiFi using the captive portal technology that many hotels use? (i.e. Where you connect to an open wifi signal but you can’t connect to any websites until you enter a username and password on the hotels “captive” landing page through your web browser.)