Google's Chromecast Turn Your Tv Into Smart Tv

Instead of buying an expensive smart TV, you can convert your existing set into a web-enabled entertainment centre by just spending a few thousands of rupees. 

Portable media players 

If you're working on a tight budget, you might want to consider an ultra-portable media player. These thumb-sized sticks, which resemble USB pen drives, are capable of streaming content - pictures, music, videos - wirelessly from a PC, smartphone or tablet to your TV screen (provided you have a Wi-Fi router set up at home). Now there are quite a few brands available in the market, but these are either from companies that have almost no presence in the country, or have been tried by only a handful of people. However, Google's Chromecast ( 3,225) is available online (unofficially at www.ebay.in, www.amazon.in) and it's also easy to use... 

Simply plug in the device into the free HDMI port on your television. 

At the other end, Chromecast also has a micro USB port which needs to be connected to a free USB port on the TV (or an alternative source) to power itself. 

Then, switch to that HDMI source (using the TV remote) and follow the set up instructions to connect to the existing Wi-Fi network in your home. 

Now, install the Chromecast app on your mobile device or PC/laptop and connect to the same wireless network. Run the app and follow the instructions to link the device to the adapter. Once the process is complete, you will be able to 'throw' Full HD videos from YouTube onto your television screen (at present, Chromecast comes with video-on-demand channels like Netflix and Hulu that aren't available in India). However, if you have subscribed to local VoD services like BigFlix, BoxTV, Spuul, NexGTv, you can stream their shows to your big screen. For this, you need to install the Google Cast extension in your Chrome browser which will let you send the tab you are currently watching to your TV. 

Also, there are quite a few free (and premium) mobile apps like EZCast, LocalCast and RealPlayer Cloud that let you stream personal content from your own smartphone and tablet. 

Here are the full specs for the Chromecast: 

• Output: HDMI, CEC compatible
• Processor: Marvell 88DE3005 (Armada 1500-mini) system on a chip
• RAM: 512MB
• Storage: 2GB flash
• Max. Output Video Resolution: 1080p
• Dimensions: 72(L) x 35(W) x 12(H) mm
• Weight: 34g
• Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Power: USB (Power adapter included)
• Supported Devices: Devices running Android 2.3 and higher, iOS 6 and higher, Windows 7 and higher, Mac OS 10.7 and higher, Chrome OS (Chromebook Pixel, additional Chromebooks coming soon). 

With Chromecast, you can easily enjoy your favorite online entertainment on your HDTV—movies, TV shows, music, and more from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Google Play Movies and Music, and Chrome. No more huddling around small screens and tiny speakers. Chromecast automatically updates to work with a growing number of apps.

Google Chrome Browser Surpasses IE in U.S. Market

Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser has lost its long-time U.S. market lead to Google Chrome, according to stats published today by Adobe Digital Index (ADI).

ADI, a marketing research arm of Adobe Systems, found that the Chrome browser eclipsed IE in April, with 31.8 percent of U.S. market share vs. IE's 30.9 percent share. Coming in third was Apple's Safari browser, with a 25 percent U.S. market share (see figure). Those browser assessments were based on Web traffic sampling of both desktop and mobile devices, based on data from "10,000 U.S. consumer-facing Web sites in April 2014," according to Adobe's announcement.

 Chrome took the lead because of the proliferation of mobile devices, in which Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems predominate. Much lower in the rankings was Mozilla's Firefox browser, with an 8.7 percent U.S. market share in April. ADI noted that Firefox has seen a 20 percent decline over a two-year period, which was "likely due to its lack of mobile presence."

In terms of global stats, the Google Chrome browser reached the No. 1 position last year, according to ADI. However, in terms of pure mobile stats, Apple's Safari browser held the lead.

Microsoft's IE browser still leads in terms of desktop use, according to ADI's analysis. That stat might be attributed to Windows use on PCs, where IE is bundled with Windows by Microsoft as part of the operating system. The old adage used to be that Windows ran on 90 percent of the world's PCs. However, analyst and consulting firm Gartner Inc. has predicted that Windows will just have a 25 percent OS market share by 2016.

Another research effort tracking browser use is Net Applications, with its global Market Share tracking service. It also showed IE in the lead in terms of desktop use at 57.88 percent in April. The Chrome browser was ranked No. 2 at 17.92 percent, followed by Firefox at 17 percent. However, Net Applications' mobile tracking showed a different story. In terms of mobile use, Safari was the leading browser at 48.72 percent, with Chrome at 15.79 percent and IE trailing at 2.11 percent in April.

Power of smartphones in Indian hands

The India smartphone market grew by a whopping 186% year-on-year in Q1 2014, making it the highest growing market in Asia Pacific.

The sharp growth trend is also seen across Asia-Pacific region which, IDC says, will also see a large increase in devices under the BYOD model. 

Source : Economictimes