Here they come: Vimeo, Redbox Instant and Plex lead charge to offer Chromecast support

By Trevor Mogg July 30, 2013

It hasn’t even been out a week but the seemingly frenzied response to Google’s Chromecast video streaming dongle is already motivating companies to get into gear and organize support for the device.

According to a GigaOM report Monday, Vimeo is keen to get involved with Google’s new offering, evidenced by comments from the video streaming site’s VP of mobile, Nick Alt, who said, “We’re excited about the emerging opportunities bridging mobile to Connected TV and we look forward to offering Chromecast support in our products.”

Verizon’s recently launched Redbox Instant and media center maker Plex have reportedly also voiced their intention to offer support for Google’s new gadget. The Mountain View company has already said Pandora, AOL, and the Washington Post are working to become part of the platform, and it’s been suggested HBO Go could be coming soon, too. Expect the floodgates to open anytime now, if they haven’t already.

Sold out

Chromecast, which launched at a special event in San Francisco last week, currently streams Netflix, YouTube, Google Play content and Web pages (via Google’s Chrome browser) from computers and Android/iOS devices to HDTVs.

Easy to use and costing only $35, the Chromecast device quickly caught the imagination of consumers in search of a simple and wallet-friendly solution for bringing streamed content to their big-screen TVs, so much so that in the US – the only country where it’s currently available – it’s virtually impossible to get hold of one. The Google Play store, Best Buy, and Amazon are all selling the dongle, though if you want one you’ll need to be quick off the mark when new stock comes in.

The device launched with a special promotion – not that it needed one, of course – offering three months of free Netflix, though the deal ended within 24 hours of Chromecast’s launch due to “overwhelming demand”. An NBC news report suggested that almost a quarter of a million Netflix promo codes had been created by the time the deal was pulled, though no official word has come from Google or Netflix on specific numbers.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Computing

Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain

Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Computing

I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Computing

How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams

Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.