However, the app isn't a foolproof way to find things just yet. The revamped Chromecast app does a much better job of helping you find things to cast to your TV - really, there was nowhere for it to go but up. And the Chromecast app, which offered only setup and management features, offered little help. Discovering things you didn't even know were available to cast was another matter altogether. If you knew specifically what you wanted to watch - maybe a movie on Netflix - or you were in a specific app, like WatchESPN, and you spotted a program worth streaming, getting that content to appear on your set was simply a matter of pressing the Cast button. The mobile device is a pretty central part of the casting process, which brings us to a major shortcoming of the original Chromecast: There just wasn't an easy way to find content to cast to your TV. Some people may prefer a setup that offers a more conventional remote control, such as Roku's Streaming Stick, even if the Chromecast proves to be the less-expensive option. You can continue to control playback from the mobile device where the stream originated, but you can also use your mobile device to do other things - check your email, surf the Web, take a phone call - without interrupting the Chromecast's stream. As you watch content on a mobile phone or tablet, you can select the Cast button to transmit it to your Chromecast, which, in turn, starts streaming that content on your TV. The streaming process remains unchanged from the original Chromecast. My Chromecast is tucked neatly behind my TV set, so any added color it brought to the room was lost on me. The color is a fairly welcome addition if you find the bright shades Google picked aesthetically pleasing and if your Chromecast is visible when it's plugged in. My review unit featured a bright-red face that Google calls 'coral' you can also get the Chromecast in yellow (or 'lemonade' in Google's parlance) and basic black. Google also added a splash of color to the mix. The new Chromecast is a round disc measuring about 2 inches in diameter and roughly a third of an inch thick.

Whereas the original was a rectangular stick with a somewhat circular handle, the new model has gone full circle.

There will be no mistaking this Chromecast for its predecessor. The new Chromecast delivers solid performance and more easily searchable content, making it an attractive low-cost option in the crowded streaming-player market. While its new look - as well as its $35 price tag - will grab most of the attention, the real improvements are inside the device and in the app you use to control it. That's changed with the new version of Chromecast.

Google chromecast setup youtube