Windows Phone and Chromecast, working together (sort of) via Tube Cast

It is no secret that Google and Microsoft are not playing nice. The back-and-forth between the two giants has been a veritable soap opera. Lately the rhetoric has been subdued, though Microsoft has been trying to leverage Larry Page’s words to make access to Google’s services better available.  Google acknowledged actively blocking Windows Phone apps from accessing its services for a while.  

Even though there was a promise that the two would collaborate on a YouTube app for Windows Phone, it has become nothing more than a wrapper linking to the mobile optimized site. It works well enough, but it lacks most of the functionality found on Android and iOS apps.

Another product that one would think (or hope) would benefit from universal access is Google Chromecast. This $35 little HDMI dongle is a gem of an accessory. It is a nearly effortless bit that allows us to channel YouTube, Netflix, Hulu+ and more into our television, using our handsets as the remote in the process.

Naturally, Windows Phone does not work with Chromecast, but an enterprising developer has started that process with an app called Tube Cast. It is only at version 1.0, so right now it only support initiating playback (no rewind, pause, or even stop). Still, it opens the door for Windows Phone and it proves that where the giants are unwilling to work together, the developer world will generate a solution.

Get Tube Cast for your Windows Phone at the source link.

source: Windows Phone Store via WMPoweruser and Engadget