The Chromecast in short: a 35 dollar, 2.5 inch dongle that plugs into your TV via HDMI and is able to sling content onto the big screen from your favorite smart device, tablet or computer! Finally, a Google browser on your TV! Believe it or not, this design has been quite challenging for the tech industry, yet is now easily able to manipulate, without the (sometimes annoying) laptop-to television set up process. Just announced last week, the Chromecast has been reported as the best device Google has ever announced. Since it's release, the demand has been so incredible the company sadly had to take away a neat perk combined with its purchase, the 3 months free of Netflix! Sad, and yes, this qualified those of you who already are Netflix members. So when doing the math, you would be receiving this so-called “miracle device” for a roughly 11 bucks.

Well, Google had to do something right since their last attempt with Google TV, which sadly went downhill faster than one could imagine back in 2010. Importantly, in what way does it compete with Apple's AirPlay system? Well, its delightful in it's cross-platform compatibility, works with Android and iOS, Chromebooks, Chrome browser for both Mac and Windows, works with any program that uses Googlecast SDK, Netflix, Youtube, and Pandora! All you do is hit the Cast button and the streaming media is sent to your TV, in fact, almost anything from any site or service can be watched via Chromecast. Gosh how easy and affordable can a product be? And with countless unveiling videos and reviews hitting the web over the weekend, it is no doubt this thing is already a success for Google. What other device, television or laptop offers so much content on its own?

Well, as far as the official reviews are saying, there is a bit more “cable clutter” than expected, due to a recommended (and included) external power adapter to plug the dongle into the wall and a short HDMI extension cable in case you cant fit the device in the back of your setup. As far as set up, it is supposed to be quick and easy, consisting of a few set ups: connecting to your Wi-Fi, downloading the setup app for your device, then installing Google Cast Chrome extension to your computer. Furthermore, using the supported Chromecast apps only require you to choose what you want to watch, hitting the Cast button and watching as the dongle takes over your TV and your device becomes a remote. Here, you may manipulate volume, play, pause, etc. However, the fact that the dongle itself does not have these basic playback controls, it can get a little confusing to retract the definitive video or app source to control these settings.

After further review, Chromecast actually does not compete with AirPlay as much as first perceived, in the particular field of app support (which is currently limited to Netflix, Youtube and Google Play). Unfortunately, catching up to Apple's dedicated years of app support improvement, Google has a lot of work to do on that front. However, the device is an incredible resource for anyone who routinely watches things on their laptop or tablet yet wishes it to be on the big screen, particularly in a convenient way. It is sharp, clean, has some competition for sure, but has rapidly proven by its flourishing sales to be a good 35 dollar investment and experiment.