It's been five long months, but the new Google Chromecast and Chromecast Audio have finally landed in Australia.
On Thursday, Google announced the products would be available to purchase Down Under. As per usual, they will cost you a little more in Australia: A$59 for each device compared with the U.S. pricing of $35 (A$42).
The new Chromecast is sexier than the previous model, with a new sleek design and two bright colour choices, red and yellow. The media streaming device still does the same thing as the old version, you can "cast" videos, music and games to your TV using your phone, tablet or computer as the controller.
Chromecast, which is really just a sexy HDMI dongle, can be used with an iPhone, iPad, Android phone and tablet, a Mac, Windows laptop or Chromebook. You can also mirror your phone screen on the TV if you have an Android device.
The new version is faster and Wi-Fi enabled, but otherwise it is essentially the same as the old version. Why mess with a good thing?
Music to our ears
Chromecast Audio is an entirely new product from Google, which lets you "cast" your music to non-wireless speakers, if you have them lying around at home. The device connects to the speakers with a 3.5mm auxiliary jack and once connected to power it will let you control your music via music apps on your phone.
The device is streaming direct from the cloud, rather than from your phone, meaning you won't get a ringtone through your speakers or drain your battery. Mashable's full review of Chromecast Audio can be found here.
You can pick Google's Chromecast and Chromecast Audio up in Australia at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman or online at Google's store.