Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is extending its share of the digital entertainment market with a new service. Named Google Cast for audio, the new offering from the tech giant will allow users to stream music to enabled speakers simply by tapping a button on their smartphones. Google Cast was announced Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and this early, companies such as Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE), Denon Electronics (USA), LLC, and LG Electronics Inc. have already showcased wi-fi connected speakers that are Google Cast ready.
Google Cast works on the same technology as the Chromecast, the small streaming stick that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has released back in 2013 to allow users to stream digital content such as those from YouTube and Netflix straight into their television sets. With Google Cast, users can send music to their choice of compatible speakers through their smartphones.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s director of product management Rishi Chandra noted that “there’s actually a fairly big opportunity in the audio space.” According to her, users, who have digital music content stored on their smartphones, would actually want to listen to it through better speakers at home.
Google Cast will allow users to stream digital music from a host of online providers that includes Deezer, Google Play music, Pandora, iHeart Radio, NPR One, and Rdio, among others. The service puts Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in direct competition Sonos audio systems, as well as with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s AirPlay, which allows users to wirelessly stream digital content from Apple mobile devices to an Apple TV and other AirPlay ready devices. Currently, Google’s Chromecast is one of the most popular streaming device in the U.S. second only to Roku.
This article has been written by Nonito Guntan.
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