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Showing posts with the label Chromecast w/Google TV

Seems like Google is testing the new Ambient mode on Google TV

The long-awaited feature that Google announced in November 2021 could be nearing a release. I received the new Ambient Mode on one of Chromecast with Google TV and the update surprised me a bit.  As for what is present, there is Ambient Mode which takes you to a familiar screen, what seems to be recent apps, and the weather. This is personalized so what you see will be tailored to who is signed in and active. Unfortunately, the update does not include multi-user support. I noticed that a notification came with the update and it pretty much let you know what the update is. Right now the update seems early to me and hopefully more functionality is added in the near future. But I do like the look and believe there is potential here especially when multi-user support is added. I'm looking forward to how this plays out and we may hear more about the feature during I/O next week.

Google will remind you when to change the remote batteries on the Chromecast w/Google TV

  New feature updates are cool and an essential part of a modern-day operating system. What you might not know is that Google tends to update its devices including the Chromecast w/Google TV on the server-side as well. Not sure if this update came way of a server-side switch or through a system app update. Nevertheless, the outcome is still the same in that CCWGT will warn you when the batteries in the accompanying remote are low. By no means am I saying this is a groundbreaking feature but it does show that Google is still refining the device. So, how the feature work is that you will see a notification dot on your profile pic located in the upper right of the TV. Selecting your profile pic brings up Settings, the time, and the notifications area at the bottom. Here is where you will see the Replace Battery Soon message. You can simply clear the notification with the Clear all button or even better just replace the batteries in the remote. Once the batteries are replaced the notificat