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Chromecast with Google TV (HD) has an unlockable bootloader (Update: maybe not)

Google’s new Chromecast with Google TV (HD) looks virtually identical to the 4K model the company launched a few years ago. But it’s a more affordable device with a $30 price tag, a less powerful processor, and less RAM. It does have a few advantages over the $50 Chromecast with Google TV (4K) though. We […]

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Lilbits: Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch coming Oct 6, Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5 on Oct 12th?

Apparently October is launch season for first-party devices from Google And Microsoft, with the latter scheduling a product launch event for October 12th (expect new Surface hardware), and the former holding an event on October 6th to officially launch the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel Watch, and possibly other hardware. A new leak suggests […]

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Chromecast with Google TV (HD) arrives for $30 and marks the end of the old Chromecast lineup

Google’s Chromecast with Google TV is a media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV, connects to the internet, and lets you stream content from the internet while using a remote control for voice or button navigation. And now it’s available in two versions: the original 4K version, which sells for […]

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Everything we know about the upcoming Chromecast HD with Google TV

There’s mounting evidence that Google is preparing to launch a Chromecast HD device which will be positioned as a cheaper alternative to the company’s Chromecast with Google TV. According to a series of recent leaks, the new model will top out at 1080p video streaming instead of 4K and have slightly less powerful hardware. But […]

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Lilbits: Cellphone with a rotary dial coming soon, OpenWrt 22.03 released, and Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch launch date announced

A few years ago Justine Haupt combined classic phone design and modern tech to create a working cellphone with a rotary dial. Later she began selling kits to folks who wanted to make their own. Soon a version aimed at folks who aren’t hardware hackers will ship, and a video shows how the new Rotary Un-Smartphone […]

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Lilbits: Surface Duo’s Android 11 update is finally here, Google’s next Chromecast is coming… eventually, and dual booting Android & Windows on a OnePlus 6T

When the Microsoft Surface Duo dual-screen smartphone first launched the streets in September 2020, the phone shipped with Google Android 10 and some custom Microsoft software designed to make the operating system more dual-screen friendly. When Microsoft unveiled the Surface Duo 2 a year later, it was running Android 11. At the time, Microsoft said […]

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Next-gen Chromecast might have hit the FCC (Update: probably not)

A new “Wireless Streaming Device” from Google showed up at the FCC today, and there’s a good chance that means a next-gen Google Chromecast is coming soon. It could be a follow-up to last year’s Chromecast with Google TV, which passed through the FCC website in August, about a month before it was officially launched […]

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Run Android 11 on Walmart’s cheap Android TV devices with LineageOS

Hackers recently figured out how to unlock the bootloader on Google’s $50 Chromecast with Google TV device, opening the door to replacing the default software with custom ROMs. But the Chromecast isn’t the only low-cost, 4K-ready media streamer around. Last year Dynalink launched an Android TV media streamer that sells for $50. And earlier this […]

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Unlock the Chromecast with Google TV bootloader to run LineageOS or Ubuntu (older models only)

The $50 Chromecast with Google TV is a dongle that hangs from the HDMI port of a TV, allowing you to stream video, listen to music, or play games using Google’s software. Want to use it for something more? A team of developers have just released a method for unlocking the bootloader. That makes it […]