This week is all about Google and their services, with the Chromecast now available all over the place, and Google Play offering more content to more people. It’s one thing for their to be new phones available all over the world, but content is what we really care about and now, we’re watching more movies and TV shows through our smartphones and tablets than ever before. So, being able to get this content on our devices directly from Google is a nice touch and this past week, Google really upped their content game internationally.
Chromecast Hits More Parts of Europe, Australia and Japan
Google’s Chromecast has been available in the US for a long time and the UK for a few months. Now it’s heading further into Europe and beyond. The Chromecast is now available – or soon will be – in Australia, Japan, Belgium, Portugal and Switzerland and in Norway, the device is now available through the Play Store online. It’s a great device for quick watching of online content without the need of a bulky set top box and in Europe it’s only €35 which really isn’t too bad for a device that’s this capable.
Google’s Text-to-Speech Engine Now Supports Polish, Dutch, Russian and some Indian Dialects
The Text-to-Speech feature from Google might not be the most illustrious of Android features, but it’s certainly one that a lot of people will find helpful. If you’re having trouble reading something, or perhaps someone you know is, it can be great to give them the help they need to get the info they want out of there favorite articles or just reading text and email. The app now supports more European languages, including Polish, Dutch, Russian and further a field it supports more Indian dialects, too.
Google’s Play Store Now Selling Devices in Switzerland and Norway
For our Norwegian and Swiss users, this is a pretty big deal. The Google Play Store will now sell those in Norway and Switzerland the Nexus 5, the Nexus 7 and the Chromecast. Sure, the prices are a little skewed from a direct dollar-to-local currency exchange, but then that’s true of anywhere in the world. The Nexus 10 isn’t listed here, presumably because of its age and Chromebooks have yet to creep into Europe so they’re absent as well. Still, this is a pretty big step and now gives two more countries a legitimate way to pick up a Nexus device or Chromecast without paying import prices and you’ll get official support from Google, too.