Chromecast is now the No. 1 streaming device in the U.S., users have casted 1 billion times

Today in the earnings call coinciding with its Q4 2014 release, Google CBO Omid Kordestani let us in on a few metrics of the Chromecast's success. The $35 (or less) streaming stick has been available for over a year and a half now, and just crossed the milestone of users tapping the "cast" button a full one billion times as of last week. Further, Chromecast usage per device has increased by 60 percent since launch — not surprising considering the number of apps that now support Google Cast.

Kordestani also shared numbers from analyst group NPD, which determined that the Chromecast was the No. 1 selling streaming device in the U.S. in 2014. With numbers like those you can see why Google is so excited about the Chromecast, and that surely has some kind of influence on the boost in Google Play sales in the past quarter.

Fun-size phones

Here's why Samsung should have launched a Galaxy S21 mini

The era of the small phone may never come again, but there's still plenty of money to be had if Samsung is willing to give us another diamond in the rough like the Samsung Galaxy S10e. We just have to look behind the annual cycle and broaden our horizons.

VOIP all day

VoLTE: How to use it and why you should care

VoLTE — or Voice over LTE — is the new standard for calling throughout the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe. Not only does it facilitate much higher call quality between cell phones, but it allows devices to stay connected to LTE while on a call, improving data speeds for everyone.

This is the next level

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888: Everything you need to know

The Snapdragon 888 is here, and we have all the details. The chipset is set to power 2021 flagships, and delivers an incredible 25% increase in performance over the last generation. Here's everything you need to know about the Snapdragon 888.

Direct casting and streaming

Best Ethernet adapters for your Chromecast or Fire TV Stick

If you've been having trouble with Wi-Fi on your streaming stick, an Ethernet adapter may be a good investment. A wired connection avoids any signal interference or competition for bandwidth and gives your cast or stream priority access to data. Some adapters simply do just that, while others take advantage of the direct access to your Chromecast or Fire TV Stick to add other useful...