Google's new weapon to win livingroom

Google rolled out a new Nexus 7 tablet on Wednesday. But there's another new gadget making a impact in the consumer technology world. Chromecast is a thumb drive that enables Web streaming to television. The accessory fits into a TV’s HDMI port and allows users to stream video, share tabs from the Google Chrome browser, or play music from their smartphones, tablet or computer on the big screen. At 35 dollars, it's also practically free, considering that it comes packed with three free months of Netflix, worthing 24 dollars. Streaming media onto the (relatively) big screen is nothing new. Set-top boxes like Roku and Boxee have provided the service, at least in part, for years. More recently, Google's now-defunct Nexus Q has battled Apple TV for the hearts and minds of consumers who have grown used to on-demand video on their laptops, tablets and even phones. But with Chromecast, Google appears to have stripped down Web streaming to its purest elements. "Chromecast is pure simplicity: Search and discovery of video content is happening on the mobile device or laptop, and all Chromecast does is stream media from the cloud." Essentially, if you can watch it on a computer, tablet or phone screen, you'll be able to watch it on your TV. That's the logical end goal of Web streaming, and many analysts are saying Google struck a huge blow by being the first to offer it up in a way that the typical consumer can understand and use. "By coming out early at an extremely affordable price, Google may wind up dominating the TV delivery industry," consumer tech analyst Larry Magid wrote for Forbes. Early interest in the 2-inch gadget appears to be high. Thursday afternoon, Chromecast was listed as out of stock on Amazon and Best Buy's website. The Google Play store was accepting orders, saying the device would be shipped in 3-4 weeks. Chromecast is designed to work on any platform that can run its Chrome browser. So a user could stream contents not only on android devices, but also iOS and Windows ones. "On paper at least, it's the best device Google has ever announced ...," Mat Honan wrote for WIRED, a CNN.com content partner. "Did Google just win the living room? No. But it definitely just cozied up on a lot of couches and got comfortable."