South Korea joins the list of counties where the Chromecast is already being sold, and the tiny little streaming dongle from Google gets some localized features with support for the regions streaming media services with Tving and Hoppin. The device launched first in the U.S. but now with the Chromecast launching in South Korea perhaps other Asian countries will see the device sold in their area down the road. Residents in South Korea will have a number of ways to purchase the Chromecast, and can choose to order the dongle through Google Play like the rest of the areas where the device has launched, or there will be a number of retail partners who will have the device for sale as well including Himart, Market, and ebay.
The Chromecast will cost South Korean citizens 49,900 won, but likely won’t have all the same Chromecast supported apps. While HBO Go is a service offered in South Korea and could very well have Chromecast support as well, other apps like Hulu Plus most likely won’t be. It is nice to see Google expanding with the Chromecast though and getting the capability to stream content easily to the TV in the hands of consumers in other regions. The head of Chromecast and TV partnerships for the Asia Pacific market, Mickey Kim stated that “it’s great to see some of Asia’s premier content producers and some of Asia’s most advanced Internet users get closer together.”
While those in South Korea will now have their taste of easy streaming content with Android devices as the interface, those of us here in the U.S. have had Chromecast availability for quite some time. The Chromecast is one of many recent options to pop up giving Americans an alternative to traditional television, with other choices like the Roku 3500R streaming stick, and the recently released Amazon Fire TV also providing users with some sort of media streaming capabilities. Are you using a Chromecast and are you a faithful supporter? Or do you prefer a potentially more versatile device like the Roku or the Amazon Fire TV? All provide great options and ways to access media but which is your favorite?