The Chrome Cast

Google’s new hardware has dominated our site, YouTube channel and podcast for a few weeks now. We had preliminary leaks of the new gadgets followed by a virtual event and now we have the actual hardware in our hands here at the Chrome Unboxed office. If you missed them, we have unboxing videos of both the new Chromecast with Google TV and the new Nest Audio speaker and both items have impressed thus far.

Our podcast this week ends up being an at-length look at these two new pieces of affordable, effective hardware. At $49, the new Chromecast is a no-brainer in the media streaming game and the $99 Nest Audio becomes an easy-to-recommend, full-bodied speaker that won’t hurt your bank account too badly. After having both around and using them for a bit already, we obviously have some thoughts and are excited to share them with our listeners.

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There’s no real reason to fight it, right? This week has been totally dominated by Google’s latest hardware unveiling and we’re here for it. From new phones to a Chromecast with a remote to a beautiful new smart speaker, there was a lot to take in and react to.

We spend the entire podcast unpacking each piece and our reactions go from excited to dubious: pumped for the new Chromecast, anxiously anticipating the sound quality of the Nest Audio speaker, and questioning the legitimacy of the Pixel 5’s price tag in light of the Galaxy S20 FE and upcoming OnePlus 8T. It’s a packed show and we hope you enjoy every bit of it this week.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we stay in one lane: Google's.  Specifically, Google's upcoming hardware.  Over the past few days, leak after leak has happened and pretty much everything is out in the open about new phones, a new Chromecast, a new smart speaker, and a new Wi-Fi router.  Between this week's podcast and last week's episode, we've learned a whole lot.

There's a ton to be excited for and a bit to be bummed by, too.  While the Chromecast looks absolutely stellar, the new Wi-Fi is a head-scratcher and the possible $699 price tag of the Pixel 5 feels like a complete miss for a compromised Pixel phone for 2020.  We're talking about it all in our lead up to Google's hardware event, so sit back and enjoy the conversation.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we spend quite a bit of our time talking through all the things we’re excited to see at Google’s event in just under two weeks from today. Between a new Nest speaker, a couple new phones, and the all new Chromecast with Google TV, there’s a lot of solid hardware getting ready to become available. While I’m happy to see the phones in the flesh and think the speaker will be a nice addition, I’m most excited by the price and functionality of the new Chromecast. We’re also equally sad that there’s no apparent Chromebook for this year’s event.

On the Chromebook front, our discussion about Lacros and what it could mean for Google to decouple Chrome from Chrome OS rounds out the podcast this week.  There are some parts of the whole thing that have us all a bit dubious about what the end game is, but it's a fun discussion to have either way.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we fully expected to talk about quite a few things, but we started in on the Surface Duo and just couldn't stop chatting.  While we did end up talking a bit about the news that MediaTek has announced a new ARM chip just for 2021 Chromebooks, the bulk of our time was spent dreaming a bit about what Chrome OS on a dual-screen folding device would look like.  While the Duo is full of first-gen issues and bugs, the premise is crazy-interesting and the more we consider it, the more we all agree that Chrome OS would be an amazing fit on such a device.

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Whether you know all about USI (universal stylus initiative), have never heard about it, or are itching to know more, you really need to tune in for this episode of The Chrome Cast.  We were fortunate enough to have a fantastic and detailed conversation about the history, current status, and future of USI with none other than the Chairman of the Board for USI, Peter Mueller.  Through a series of questions and discussion, Peter talks in depth about the technology that drives this new stylus standard and why it is the folks behind USI hope it can become the single, standardized stylus protocol for nearly all tech gadgets.

We had a preliminary call with Pete before setting up the podcast recording and even though I knew quite a bit about USI going into today's episode, I still left our discussion even more excited by the potential of USI pens across all aspects of the tech community.  We sincerely hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we talk about a handful of things in the lead up to our main topic of conversation: a renewed hope in a Google-made Chromebook for 2020.  Presumably the successor to the Pixelbook, 'Halvor' is in possession of a Google-only feature that we've only seen in the Pixelbook, Pixelbook Go and Pixel Slate up to this point in the #madebyGoogle era of Chromebooks.  Obviously there's a lot to unpack on this subject and its a fun discussion to have as we consider Google moving from a position of setting the bar for the ecosystem to simply being an active participant in it.

We also spend a bit of time in this podcast talking about USI pens and the duo of test pens we now have in the office that confirm how good USI compatibility will be once these accessories finally start shipping in the coming months.  We're hoping to have Pete Mueller - USI Chariman - on the show next week to discuss more about USI and the potential of this universal standard.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, our conversation is quite a bit more nuanced than the title says, but the number of things we discussed simply can’t be conveyed in a few words. The first half centers around Google’s changes to Meet, their cooperation with Zoom, and the improved focus across the board for messaging and home-related goods. It feels like Google is proactively trimming the fat in many areas of their software and hardware both, and those types of moves are encouraging.

The second half of the podcast centers around GeForce NOW for Chromebooks. As a completely web-based solution to game streaming for Chromebooks, it is not just a rival to Stadia, but a champion in most respects. With a buttery-smooth performance right from the browser-based player, GeForce NOW has tons of games and tons of players to go along with its fantastic playback experience, and its arrival for Chromebooks this week is well worth talking about.

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If you took a second to read that title up there, you can probably guess: this is an odd-ball episode and we talk through some very interesting news from the past few days. Sometimes this just happens, right? The week is going along like you expect and then out of nowhere, a few things happen that you can’t seem to escape no matter what you do.

For us this week, two very monumental things occurred: the release of the Surface Duo and Epic’s big battle with Google and Apple over app store fees. For the Surface Duo, the angle Microsoft is taking by making a pocketable computer that happens to make phone calls is something that is not only interesting as a new device type, but also intriguing as a potential form factor for a Chrome OS device, too. With the Fortnite drama, our conversation leans towards PWAs and web apps in general as the way forward for many app makers as a potential path that keeps them from being tied down to semi-monopolistic app stores like Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we reflect a bit on the early success of Google’s new Pixel 4a and what may come with the announced Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. With Google now firmly planted in the mid-range phone space with no clear indication that a flagship device is coming anytime soon, I suppose it is time to get used to the idea of Pixel phones that have far more mass appeal and far less attraction for high-end phone lovers like myself.

That being said, there was a leak this week that outlined the possibility of a foldable Pixel phone that may come into reality next year. Armed with that news and the recent unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, we spend the second half of the podcast letting our minds wonder a bit about what that Google-made foldable could be and how a device like the Galaxy Fold could make for a very awesome Chrome OS device if and when the day ever comes that a foldable tablet/phone running Chrome OS does ever emerge.

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