Google Chromecast prepped for UK release

The $35 dongle plugs into the HDMI port on your TV to stream various media over Wi-Fi

Google’s Chromecast has been on sale in the US for eight months now

Google’s Chromecast is rumoured to launch in the UK this Wednesday. The $35 (£21) dongle plugs into TVs and streams music, video and games over Wi-Fi connnections.

The Chromecast has been on sale in the US for eight months now, but according to a leak from Android Police it will go on sale this Wednesday in the UK. The UK price hasn’t been confirmed, but £30 is rumoured.

Why would you want a Chromecast in the first place though? Essentially the device offers a way for you to get up any internet services you enjoy on your laptop up on to the big(ger) screen of your TV. If you like iPlayer for example, but don’t have a smart TV, then the Chromecast will allow you to access it, alongside a dozen other on-demand services.

And why use a Chromecast rather than a smart TV? Well, mainly because it’s Google that are making it. TV makers have been making notoriously terrible software for their devices for years, while Google has been building ever more intuitive systems such as Android.

The Chromecast also comes with an add-on for Google’s chrome browser that allows you to stream whatever you’re looking at in your browser onto your TV. Reviews from the US suggest that this part of the service can be a bit slow and laggy, but it’s still more convenient than faffing about with cables.