Updated 01:37 AM EDT, Tue, Mar 19, 2024

Chromecast 2 Release Date & News: Google Unveils TV Browser with Chromecast Audio

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Google's Sept. 29 press event not only showcased new Nexus smartphones, but also introduced the second generation Chromecast product.

The device comes with a new Chromecast Audio as well, which transforms any speaker with an AUX into a gadget connected with the Internet, Tech Crunch wrote.

Google released the original Chromecast in 2013, a device that delivers the Chrome browser experience through a small HDMI key that streams media directly to a user's TV or speakers by just using a phone, tablet, or laptop. The first iteration of the gadget sold 20 million devices, Tech Crunch added.

The new version of the Chromecast boasts of a new design, which eliminated its predecessor's flash drive-like outside features and replaced it with a "new hockey puck format," BGR noted. The latest design is capable of holding internal components that improves Wi-Fi connectivity.

The new Chromecast offers support for faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a nearly instant streaming/casting feature called Fast Play. Listed below are the full specs of the latest Chromecast, as compiled by BGR.

  • dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz support
  • 802.11ac support
  • triple-adaptive antenna
  • HDMI connectivity
  • Fast Play and gaming support
  • Colors: Black, Coral and Lemonade

According to Micah Collins, senior product manager of Chromecast, a lot has changed in the new Chromecast from its original version.

"What we were able to do was build a product that is extremely focused on delivering that quality and performance from the cloud. Build the construct where apps could communicate with it. Apps wherever users are. There is a way to reach all users through SDKs. That was the foundation. For 2 years we've bene building that out," Collins said, as quoted by Tech Crunch.

Collins' team said that they are aiming for 80 million Chromecast users. The device is also on its way to cater to "gorgeous, rich rendered" games, including a special version of "Angry Birds" called "GO," the news outlet reported. Other planned games are "Angry Birds Friends," "WGT Golf," "Monopoly Here and Now," "Mini Motors WRT," and "Driver Speedboat Paradise."

Google's new Chromecast bows in 17 countries on Sept. 29, with prices starting at $35 in the U.S., BGR wrote.

The Chromecast Audio, meanwhile, also costs $35 and has the ability to turn speakers into Internet-connected ones, Tech Crunch wrote. Users need only to hook up the device into their speakers and stream music directly into it from their phones, tablet, or laptops using the Chromecast app. Chromecast Audio has 2 watt RMS and optional optical digital out in its hybrid port.

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