Windows Phone To Get Its Own Chromecast
Microsoft is developing an answer to Apple TV and Chromecast with the Miracast Dongle for Windows Phone
Windows Phone users will soon have another way to project their content onto TV screens, thanks to a dongle (currently known only as HD-10) which is being developed by Microsoft.
Dubbed the Miracast Dongle, it will compete against the likes of Google’s Chromecast and AppleTV, which allow users’ to stream their mobile content on television sets.
Miracast Dongle
Windows Phone already provides its users with the ability to display their content on a monitor, television or projector. The feature is called “Project My Screen” and it mirrors the screen on your phone on a different/bigger screen (wired or wirelessly) using Miracast technology.
But the drawback is relatively few televisions and monitors are currently Miracast compatible, hence the need for a hardware alternative.
Microsoft is doing just that. According to Nokia Power User, the Microsoft Mobile team is developing the dongle, which will be manufactured by Foxconn. It has already been submitted to and given the all-clear by the US Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC filing for the dongle reveals that it comes with Wi-Fi b/g/n and Wi-Fi Direct support. There is no word on whether it will also act as a media streaming box.
New Lumia 830?
Microsoft is reportedly readying the launch of the new Nokia Lumia 830 smartphone on 4 September at the IFA 2014 conference in Berlin, after having dispatched invitations to journalists. It is possible that the dongle will be launched at the same event as an accessory.
Earlier this week, the Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC returned to the Microsoft fold when it launched the HTC One (M8) running the Windows Phone mobile operating system, although Android remains its principle platform of choice. That Windows Phone handset is currently only available in the United States on the Verizon Wireless and AT&T networks.
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has also arrived on Windows Phone 8 devices, after a beta for the application was released last month, featuring individual and group chats, contact feeds and the ability to pin favourite chats to the home screen.
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