Google's Chromecast TV offering a hit with reviewers, customers

Apparently there was a lot of pent-up demand for Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chromecast, the $35 streaming stick that plugs into HDTVs and lets users grab online content like YouTube, Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) and other streaming services and puts it on TV.

Chromecast promotional

Click here for the Chromecast promotional video.

The product sold out at both Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) and BestBuy.com less than 24 hours after it was introduced, according to a story in Variety. Even Google's own Google Play store listed a wait time of three to four weeks for shipping.

It's understandable because the product, introduced July 24 by the search engine giant in San Francisco, is well worth the money, a product review in Slashgear said, pointing out that the product might prove a third time charm for a company that flailed away with Google TV and the Nexus Q.

"With the Chromecast … it's hard not to be swayed," reviewer Vince Nguven wrote. "Yes, only a few native apps have Cast options yet, but the Chromecast is just $35. True, the browser integration can be unstable at times, but the Chromecast is just $35. The whole streaming system might be naïve in places but--in case you've forgotten--the Chromecast is just $35."

That price point falls well short of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) TV, which comes in at $99 and is supposedly Google's biggest competitor--outside, of course, traditional pay TV providers.

For its part, Google, in a blog item posted by Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps, in laying out the benefits of Chromecast, said the device makes it "even more effortless to enjoy content you care about--whether it's video, music, movies games--wherever you are, across your devices."

Google's goal with Chromecast is to "create an easy solution that works for everyone for every TV in the house," Pinchai concluded.

It could, reviewer Nguven wrote, live up to that hype.

"So instantly popular as to sell out online in minutes and already commanding premium pricing on eBay, the Chromecast could be third time lucky to get Google into the living room," he wrote.

For more:
- Google posted this blog item
- Slashgear offered this product review
- and Variety carried this story

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