An update to the free CheapCast app adds support for Tab Casting, letting users beam the desktop browser tabs to any Android smartphone or tablet.
CheapCast is a free app that essentially turns any Android device into a Chromecast. The app makes the user’s Android device show up as a Chromecast on their wireless network, making it easy to beam content to the device. The addition of Tab Casting makes the app more useful that it was before.
With the ability to cast tabs from Android on the desktop CheapCast lets users view any desktop web page on their tablet or smartphone. The most obvious use of this is websites with Flash that won’t work in the device’s browser, or at least won’t work well. While the app lets users cast tabs from their Chrome browser, it doesn’t support Google’s experimental full-screen casting. For those that have never seen what this app can do, see the video from below – but know that it’s reflective of the older version. We’ll be producing a video on this update soon.
Of course, CheapCast can also cast other media such as YouTube. Users simply need to tap the Cast button in an app and select their CheapCast-enabled device from the list of possible devices, and the content will beam to their smartphone or tablet.
Unfortunately the app doesn’t support streams with DRM such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. Those streams require components that are only available from true Chromecast devices, and the developer of CheapCast doubts they can ever support those services.
The new update to CheapCast also switches the app to a Chromium base which should make it run more smoothly.
CheapCast is currently in beta and is available in the Play Store. While the app is free, the developer does ask for donations via in-app purchases if users like the app and find it useful.
Will you use CheapCast? Or would you prefer to use the $35 Chromecast?
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