How To Transform Your Living Room With Android Devices

There is a lot of talk across the web about the rivalry between iOS and Android, and it seems that almost everyone with a smartphone has an opinion on which is better. I fall firmly on the Android side of that debate, which perhaps makes me a little biased, but to me this question is pretty much moot.

Android and iOS are hardly competitors because Android is so much more than iOS. While iOS is a built-in operating system for a few specific devices with a host of limitations, Android is a free and open operating system that's incredibly diverse and which has countless more uses than just a few smartphones and tablets.

Need proof? Just look at the huge range of devices that today rely on Android to function. It's not just phones and tablets, but full-blown computers, televisions, games consoles, watches, augmented reality glasses and more. And in each case the basic framework has been bent around in order to suit the targeted device.

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Likewise, take a look at the huge selection of varied and powerful apps available on Android. These aren't just apps that help you find your car, or play games, these are things that completely change the way you use your device and give it completely new capabilities. Read on to see just how versatile Android really is: by using it to transform your living room into a vision of tomorrow.

ChromeCast

The first thing you can do to really impress with your Android device is to turn it into a projector for your TV. By using ChromeCast it's possible to stream all kinds of content to your television such as YouTube videos, pictures and music.

Say you want to share your holiday snaps with your family then: rather than just giving them the photos and getting them to look through them, you could use your Chrome cast to project them straight from your tablet or phone while remaining seated comfortably in your chair.

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There's only one downside: ChromeCast is rather expensive. And while some Android devices will plug directly into your TV via HDMI or micro-HDMI, this doesn't usually include phones and means you'll have to sit much closer to the television.

Fortunately there's a cheaper alternative to ChromeCast for users with two Android devices, named quite appropriately as 'CheapCast'. CheapCast is an App that you install on any Android device that you want to use as a receiver, and this then allows you to stream content from any other Android device straight to it.

For example then, you could take your tablet, plug it into your computer screen via HDMI, and then use your phone to stream to the tablet. That's Android for you!

Ultimate Mouse

Most living rooms these days also have a computer in them, but sadly desktop computers still can't really be enjoyed from the couch. Or can they…? By using an app in the Google Play Store called 'Ultimate Mouse' you can actually turn your device into a touchpad for your computer or laptop and then control it wirelessly from the couch as well.

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Better yet, why not enjoy the 'laser pointer' mode and control that mouse simply by pointing your phone around the screen. It's like having a Wii input for your PC! (The same manufacturers also do an Ultimate Gamepad FYI for controlling PC games).

Music in Every Room

This one's even easier. Want 'house of tomorrow' style music to play in every room wherever you go? Simply by a few Bluetooth receivers cheaply from Amazon. Then plug them into your main sound systems in each room using the headphone jack, and connect your Android device.

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Now you can play your music in your pocket, and whichever room you walk into the CD player in there will join in for high quality music and surround sound.

More Devices

Playing games is these days a fun activity for the whole family, and thanks to the Ouya - an open source Android games console - that's now something you can enjoy relatively cheaply. And while you're at it, why not invest in a decent Android TV that will give you gesture control, access to apps and other media and much more?

It's an Android world, we just live in it!

Susie Bradshaw

About the Author:

Today’s post has been authored by Susie Bradshaw, a freelance blogger who often writes for NY City Blinds, a company providing window dressings and draperies. She is quite passionate about her work and she enjoys living the outdoor lifestyle when she gets free.