With the launch of the Chromecast last week, Google is staking another claim to the living room, this time with a thumb-drive-sized device you plug into your TV’s HDMI port to stream online video, much as you would with Apple TV or Roku. What's different is that it also allows you to "cast" other Internet content from a computer or mobile device to your TV.  

Right now, the Chromecast works with Netflix, YouTube, and Google Play Movies & TV and Google Play Music. The company says that new apps, including Pandora music, will be added soon. When using supported apps the Chromecast pulls content directly from the cloud, and you use a laptop, phone, or tablet as a remote control. You can also use Chromecast to bring other Web-based content to your TV using a PC or Mac loaded with a Chrome browser. In that case, the device is accessing the online content and transmitting it wirelessly to your TV.

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