My wife is working on the laptop, my kids want to watch a video on our tablet, and I need to work on one of these devices as well.  Now what?  I could buy a second laptop or tablet, but isn’t there another solution?

There is!  I purchased Google’s Chromecast for $35.  Chromecast is a digital media adapter developed by Google that plugs into an HDMI port on your HDTV and allows you to “cast” online content from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone to the TV.  The great thing about it is you can cast your content and still use your device for something else!  So, I logged into our Netflix account from our tablet, cast the kids’ video to the TV, and I continued to work on the tablet.

Chromecast allows you to enjoy online entertainment from:

• Netflix
• YouTube
• Google Play
• Chrome

More options are expected in the future to provide more entertainment and sports.  You can enjoy options such as ESPN3 by streaming it from your PC, smartphone or tablet to the Chromecast.  This requires using the Chrome browser with the Google Cast extension.

What you’ll need:

• Chromecast adapter – $35
• HDTV with a HDMI port
• Wi-Fi

It works with devices you may already have:

• Android tablets and smartphones
• iPhones
• iPads
• Chrome for Mac
• Chrome for Windows

Google says, “Chromecast is the easiest way to enjoy online video and music on your TV.”  I have to agree, it was very easy to install and we’re enjoying this functionality on all of our devices.  I’m looking forward to more apps adding Chromecast as an option!

Do you have another solution for sharing devices in your home?