Google is going after the TV market once again, this time with a little dongle called the Chromecast that plugs right into your TV's HDMI.
The Chromecast is $35, which includes 3 months of Netflix for free.
The Chromecast is an accessory for your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. It works with iOS or Android, and with the Chrome browser on a laptop.
Videos and music are wirelessly sent to the Chromecast, and show up on your big screen TV. The iOS or Android device act as remotes allowing you to control the video on your TV.
It's competition for Apple's $99 Apple TV. The difference between the two gadgets is that the Apple TV is a bigger box that has some applications built right into it. The Chromecast is just a conduit for whatever is sent through a mobile device.
Google has been experimenting with getting web video on the TV for a long time now. This appears to be its best effort yet. It looks like a simple, one step process that works on both major mobile platforms.
The big downside: Because it's HDMI, you need to charge it with a USB power adapter. So, you'll have to remember to charge it up from time to time, it seems.
