It looks a little more Apple TV than Chromecast mainly because it’s a separate “box” for your TV but the concept is the same as both – a wireless hub that allows you to push or cast content from your mobile or tablet onto your big-screen TV.
Using HDMI the output of the Lenovo Cast goes into your TV while any DLNA or Miracast enabled device can stream content across to the Lenovo Cast to ensure you’re able to fully enjoy whatever content you’re watching.
Unlike Apple TV or Chromecast, don’t expect apps to be updated with new “cast” logos, instead this is going to work best from Lenovo devices and Android phones and Tablets out of the box. Compatibility exists for Windows Phone and iOS also, but we’ll have to wait to fully test one to understand how easy that will be.
It’s small, but not tiny – that title goes to the Chromecast. Lenovo Cast is a 7cm wide device at just 1.5cm tall.
Connecting via WiFI (a/b/g/n) it has dual band 2.5 and 5GHz connectivity and out of the box you’ll also get a bracket to clip it onto the back of the TV.
No pricing details yet for Australia, but to be competitive it has to be under $100, with the Chromecast already at a low $49. US pricing will be $49, so it looks like it will sit between Chomecast and Apple TV on price – available globally in August.
Trevor Long is in Beijing as a guest of Lenovo.
