We’re going to take Android away from Google

 

That is the big highlight quote from this article in the Wall Street Journal about Cyanogen.  CEO Kirt McMaster said just that. Knowing only that, the logical response is, ‘Good luck with that!’ But is there actually reason to think this is a real possibility? Could Cyanogen actually compete with Google as more than a niche/hobbyist offering?

In a word, yes. It is still a bit of a longshot. Google is, after all, still Google. They have all the resources, and plenty of incentive, to keep the status quo. But that Wallstreet Journal article also contains another interesting bit of news. In a recent round of funding, one of the investors in Cyanogen is Microsoft. That certainly alters the perspective, doesn’t it?

What Cyanogen really needs in order to compete is to be the shipping OS on more phones. The average user is just not going to go through the hassle of replacing their Google version of Android with Cyanogen. Being able to point you your pal Microsoft can only help when those deals are being negotiated. They already have a few such deals. If this latest round of funding means the skids are greased a bit as they work out more and bigger deals, then what we are saying is, they’ve got a shot.

Google’s Chromecast sends streaming media to your TV

Google has announced their latest product, the Chromecast. The tiny device plugs into your TV and allows various services (Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Music) to be “cast” from your phone, tablet, or laptopto the big screen. With the addition of the Google Cast SDK developers will be able to create apps with multi-screen experiences. The Chromecast is joined by the new version of the Nexus 7. The flagship tablet is now sporting a 323 pixels per inch screen and becomes the first device to ship with Android 4.3.