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AllCast media streaming finally comes to iOS
The slow road for AllCast to bring its media streaming app to iOS is over, as today marks the app's launch on Apple's mobile OS. I got a chance to spend some time with it, and, even without any experience with its Android counterpart, getting around and tossing photos and videos from Dropbox, iCloud and Instagram to my plasma TV from my iPad Mini 2 was incredibly easy. Simply open the application, grant permission for it to access your photos, hit the familiar cast icon in the lower left, pick a target Chromecast (or Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, Xbox and some smart TVs) and you're good to go. Swipe left or right through your media and it'll appear on your screen milliseconds later. Simple!
AllCast media streaming inches closer to iOS release with a beta test
Apparently the vague "slowly but surely" AllCast's Koushik Dutta teased not too long ago was referring to a beta test on iOS -- not the final app. Taking to Google+ once again, the developer has posted a beta sign-up form for the media streaming application's Cupertino-device test-period. The questions it asks are pretty typical ones regarding the TV-connected device you'll use with the app, and what kind of media you'll use it for. Betas usually signal an impending release of the full product in the near future, so the iOS faithful might not be far from seeing what their Android-loving pals have been crowing about for around a year.
AllCast's media streaming app is coming to iOS 'slowly but surely'
Envious of Android's stream-wrangling AllCast app, but not ready to switch mobile platforms? You're in luck: the app's creator just teased the iOS version of the app on his Google+ page. A pair of screenshots (featured above) shows the work-in-progress, punctuated only with developer Koushik Dutta's brief commentary: "Slowly but surely." The port was apparently sparked by a handful of new iOS8 APIs that it possible to cast from other apps besides AllCast. So, when will it be here? Dutta says he hopes to release the app in a few weeks, possibly the end of September.
AllCast will let you mirror any Android phone's screen on your PC
AllCast has let almost any Android device send photos and videos to the Chrome desktop browser for a while, but mirroring your screen has been a pain; if you didn't have a Nexus 5, you were out of luck. That clever feature is about to get a lot more useful, though. Koushik Dutta has reworked the app's mirroring code so that it now uses a common video format (H.264), letting you mirror the screen of any halfway modern phone on your PC; if you can run AllCast in the first place, you're probably fine. There's significant lag, but it should be enough to show your friends a hot new app without having to buy a Chromecast (or a TV, for that matter). The upgrade should arrive soon, so swing by Google Play if you'd like to use your computer as a second screen.
AllCast now sends your phone's media to anything with a Chrome browser
For Koushik Dutta, it's not enough that his AllCast app can stream an Android device's content to set-top boxes and other mobile gear; he now has it streaming to PCs, too. His new AllCast Receiver for Chrome lets you send photos, videos and your device screen to anything with a Chrome web browser on the local network. If you want to use your Chromebook as a makeshift TV, you can. It's not quite as slick as sharing content between native apps, though. You can't use the wireless headset feature with video, and screen mirroring isn't seamless. With that said, this is still one of the easier ways put your phone's media collection on a bigger display.
AllCast now streams your media to any Android device
Koushik Dutta's AllCast app can stream media to seemingly any set-top box you might own, but it hasn't let you stream to (most) Android devices. Today, though, that barrier has come down: Dutta has released AllCast Receiver, an app that turns any supporting Android gadget into a streaming target. You can now send video to a tablet for more comfortable viewing, for example, or mirror your screen to walk someone through an unfamiliar app. To top it off, AllCast itself has received an update that will stream Google Play Music to other hardware, provided you get root OS access on the host device first. Whether or not you're willing to take that risk, you'll definitely want to grab the newer apps if AllCast is your go-to content sharing tool.
AllCast's screen-mirroring magic arrives on Amazon's Fire TV App Store
Been putting off sideloading AllCast's SDK to your brand new Amazon Fire TV? Well, friend, your procrastination has paid off. Now, all you have to do to install the casting and screen-mirroring app is download it straight from the Amazon App Store. So long as you also have AllCast installed on an Android device, you can beam photos, videos and music from your phone or tablet to Amazon's set-top box. Plus, you can use the app to view images and videos saved on Google+ and Dropbox. If you don't plan to pick up a Fire TV (waiting for the second one, eh?), you can still use AllCast with a number of other devices, including Chromecast, Xbox One, Roku, Apple TV and a smattering of smart TVs.
AllCast Android app brings screen-mirroring to Amazon Fire TV
After making fast friends with Android and Chromecast, AllCast is naturally ambling toward the next newest living-room device. If you're already bored using Amazon Fire TV for its intended functions, AllCast and Mirror support are currently in beta for Bezos' streaming box. And really, all you have to do is sideload the screen-mirroring app's APK onto your Fire TV and it should show up as a target for the Android application's content beaming. On Google+ developer Koushik Dutta writes that the receiver app's been submitted to the Amazon App Store, and he's just waiting on approval for it to go live. If you're feeling impatient however, well, maybe try reading a book -- we hear Amazon has a device for those, too.
AllCast creator demos Android screen mirroring through Chromecast
AllCast developer Koushik Dutta has hinted that he could do more with Chromecast than just queue up media, and he now has a demo video to prove it. The clip (below) shows Dutta using Google's peripheral to mirror an Android phone's screen on a TV, much like you might with Miracast (or an Apple TV, for that matter). There's some noticeable lag, but the frame rate is smooth enough to reproduce a couple of rounds of Flappy Bird. Dutta hasn't said just when he expects to release the new code. However, he hopes to build the feature into AllCast; you'll likely get Chromecast screen mirroring on Android at some point, even if Google never officially supports more than Chrome tab casting.
AllCast Android media streamer and Chromecast are friends again now that the SDK is here (updated)
Google's Chromecast has teased seemingly limitless potential since its release last year, but until the Cast SDK came out yesterday most developers couldn't take advantage of it. That includes Koushik Dutta, creator of the AllCast app that we've already seen featuring screen mirroring or streaming music, video and pictures from Android devices to the dongle, but that's all changed. He reports that adding Chromecast support to his existing app (previously limited to streaming with Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, Playstation and other DLNA/AirPlay ready devices) took about 20 minutes in a "trivial" procedure requiring almost no extra code. A video demo of the feature is embedded after the break, and while it loads a little slower than other devices, pushing media from phone to TV is now just a button press away. That bodes well for other apps we'd like to see supporting Chromecast, and hopefully means that tiny button will pop up everywhere soon. As for AllCast, an update with Chromecast support is coming "soon," interested users can grab a free version that works for one minute to try it out, or upgrade to the unlimited premium edition for $4.99. Update: A new version of AllCast, complete with Chromecast support, is now available to download on Google Play.
Daily Roundup: 2013 Mac Pro review, Jack Dorsey joins Disney, Google powered robots and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
AllCast for Android leaves beta, streams media to your Apple TV, Roku or Xbox (video)
Worried that you won't get to watch your favorite videos while visiting family this holiday? Don't be: After a brief beta phase, ClockworkMod's Koushik Dutta has released a completed version of AllCast for Android. The polished app lets you stream both local and cloud-based media to relatively common living room media hubs, including Apple TV, Roku players, the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One. Many Panasonic- and Samsung-made smart TVs will also handle content, and numerous DLNA-capable devices should make the cut. Chromecast support will likely have to wait until Google opens up its ecosystem in the new year. We can't promise that your relatives will share your taste in movies, but it won't hurt to grab AllCast from Google Play.
AllCast app allows Android users to stream video to Apple TV
A new app for Android allows users to stream video content from their Android devices to Apple TV. The app, called AllCast, was created by ClockworkMod dev Koushik Dutta and is currently in beta. Once AllCast is installed on your Android device, simply go to the cast button in a video and select Apple TV from the list. Within a few seconds, the video on your Android device will begin playing on your Apple TV. Currently only content that is locally stored on an Android device can be streamed to the Apple TV. Video from streaming apps such as Netflix on Android won't work. In addition to the Apple TV, AllCast also works with Roku, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TVs, and some other devices. To get the AllCast beta, users must first join this community and then download the beta from the Google Play store.
AllCast for Android pushes media to Apple TV and Roku, available for willing beta testers (video)
If you've been eager to send cloud or locally-stored media to your TV, another option could be on the way. Currently in beta, AllCast is an Android app that streams content from places like Google Drive, Dropbox or your mobile device's storage to an Apple TV, Roku, Xbox console, Samsung Smart TV and other DLNA-compatible hardware. ClockworkMod dev Koushik Dutta is behind the wheel here, however there's currently no support for Chromecast -- something we hope he'll be allowed to restore once the device's Cast SDK is released. In order to test drive this latest version of the software, you'll need to join the ClockworkMod beta testers group before nabbing the download from the Play Store (no rooting required). Need further convincing before opting in? Head down past the break for a video demo.
Android to AirPlay Mirroring demonstrated, coming soon to CyanogenMod
Just in case you thought incorporation would slow things down among the folks behind CyanogenMod, dev and VP of Engineering Koushik Dutta just posted this video showing off AirPlay Mirroring from an Android phone. He's been working on Android streaming support to various protocols / devices for the "AllCast" media streaming app since Google's changes cut it off from the Chromecast (for now at least), and Apple's screen sharing feature is the latest target. There are other apps in the Play Store that connect Android devices over AirPlay, but mirroring support integrated into the OS feels fresh. AllCast support is already in place for pushing media to Roku and DLNA-compatible hardware, and he says this mirroring feature is "coming soon to a CyanogenMod near you."
Chromecast update breaks local media streaming in third-party apps (updated)
We hope you aren't depending on your Chromecast for local media playback. If you are, the device has just become a paperweight -- temporarily, at least. Google's most recent Chromecast update disables playback from external video sources, breaking third-party apps like AllCast and Fling that use the code for local-only streaming. Developer Leon Nicholls is hopeful that functionality will return when the official Cast SDK is ready for public apps, although we wouldn't count on it. As Android Central notes, Google isn't promising local media support on the Chromecast; for now, it's focused on the cloud. Update: In a statement mentioned by dnengel84 in the comments and posted by The Verge, Google says that it's willing to support local content; these are "early days" for the SDK, and the feature set is likely to change. Read the full statement after the break.
