The Chromecast is a really great device. It was announced back in July alongside Android 4.3 and the Nexus 7 2013. It’s basically Google’s second attempt at your living room. The Chromecast is really just a HDMI streaming stick. With Chromecast you can stream stuff from Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music, Pandora, Hulu+, HBO Go and more apps are coming soon, once the SDK is finally available. Now Google was selling this for $35 which is a great deal. But now Amazon and Best Buy have slashed the price to $29.99 which does still include that free Google Play Movie Rental credit that we told you about earlier this week, that Google was offering through the Play Store.
As expected, Google has really been pushing Chromecast lately. They’ve expanded the retail presence of the Chromecast, so it’s now available at Walmart, Verizon, and Motorola in addition to Best Buy, Amazon and Google Play. The Chromecast, I feel, is a great device, and something everyone can afford. It’s priced so low, that’s it’s almost an impulse buy for most people. But what I’m most excited for is when the SDK is finally released and we see what kind of apps jump on the Chromecast bandwagon. Hopefully there will be a lot more than the handful we currently have. Perhaps Plex will finally jump on board, they’ve already expressed interest in Chromecast.
Right now Best Buy is offering free shipping on the Chromecast, while Amazon has the Chromecast eligible for Amazon Prime. So if you’re an Amazon Prime member you can get free 2-day shipping. I’m actually surprised to see the Chromecast in stock everywhere, as for a while it was out of stock and backordered for a couple of months. But the Chromecast would make for a great stocking stuffer this Christmas.