Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2013/11/28/chromecast_google_play/

Google decides Chromecast TV-stick apps are a whole NEW THING

As yet another tellydongle scoops crowdfunding to leap into moshpit with pals

By Gavin Clarke

Posted in Legal, 28th November 2013 19:26 GMT

Google is making it simpler to find media apps for Chromecast: just as another startup seeks to confront the ad giant in the TV dongle market with its own crowd-sourced option.

Google has added a section to its Play Store that appears designed to group media streaming apps, suitable for its Chromecast HDMI-n-USB dongle, for download to your device.

The Chromecast section is off to a slow start. After four months it holds just four apps, three being homegrown – Netflix along with YouTube, Play Movie and Play Music. The Chromecast device was unveiled in July.

Google’s Chromecast shop is accessed via a button in the apps section of Play Store.

The addition came as Danish developers broke the $100k barrier while raising crowdfunds to build their own equivalent TV dongle, which is only one of many competing TV sticks out there already.

This team, called AirTame and building a wireless stick, has until January 1, 2014 to raise a total of $160,000 on Indiegogo to fund development of its project.

The fundraiser only kicked off on November 21 so it’s looking entirely possible that AirTame will hit its goal. The plan is for an initial production run of 2,000 devices.

AirTame provides wireless screen casting, allowing users to stream PC and stereo content to a big screen such as a TV without need for data or power cables.

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