LAS VEGAS -- Google's foray into the world of streaming media with Chromecast for video just expanded with the announcement of Google Cast, a tool designed around the same concept -- but focused on audio.
Using Google Cast-enabled speakers, users can simply tap the Google Cast button in Android, iOS or on the web, and their music and other audio instantly pumps wirelessly from those speakers.
[seealso slug="beep-speaker"]
Some of the apps primed to work with Google Cast speakers include Pandora, Rdio, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, NPR One, Deezer and, of course, Google Play Music. Rather than drain a user's mobile device by using it as the audio source, the speakers will instead pull audio content from the cloud.
Among the list of electronics makers committed to producing Google Cast-ready speakers are LG, HEOS by Denon and Sony, with more brands promised later in 2015.
Last year, a few ex-Googlers showed off how a similar dynamic might work when they unveiled Beep, a $99 device that allows users to wirelessly stream music from their smartphone apps (including Pandora and Spotify) to their speakers.
In addition to speakers, Google says it also plans to soon embed the same kind of streaming functionality in game consoles, set-top boxes with Android TV and televisions.
The speakers' price and availability date have not yet been announced, but Google expects the first Google Cast-ready speakers to hit retail stores this spring.
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