This is the first in (hopefully) a series of posts on the Chromecast Audio. It is a practical text and pictures unboxing of the device. As ridiculous as unboxings may feel to some, they are the most objective part of a review since they don’t depend on one’s ears or biology or audio-philosophy or musical preferences 🙂
The packaging is practical and recyclable, nothing fancy but pretty good considering this is a $35 item. Here’s the front and the back, the ruler for size purposes.
Opening is smart, don’t ravenously tear down the packaging. If you open it as it was designed, you can re-use it to store the whole thing or the accessories you don’t need right away. Look for the orange tab on the side towards the back:
Instructions on how to hook it up are on the inside sleeve, they are fairly simple, connect and power. If you are setting it up from a phone, you can just download the official Chromecast app (that’s what that website will tell you to do if you on a phone or mobile browser):
The vinyl-themed Chromecast device with its hard-to-miss yellow cable are the center piece once you open the box. Notice there are only two rings on the cables (this is not unexpected, I’m just pointing it out) [edit note since it changed meaning: should be “not unexpected”, not “unexpected”]
For a $35 item, they are pretty generous on the charging cable. You get a microUSB to USB cable and an AC USB charging head, with a nice cable holder. So you can plug the whole thing to AC or use the USB cable to connect to a different source (portable USB power, a computer, a TV, etc)
This is a “family portrait” of all the non-packaging items that are included in the box, grouped together for size:
The Chromecast Audio disc has a microUSB input and a button on one side…
… and a 3.5mm audio input on the other side:
As you can see on the underside above, this is Made In China.
PRICE and AVAILABILITY
The Chromecast Audio has a regular price of $35, with free shipping from the official Google eBay store. Occasionally it goes on sale for $30 at some online or B&M retailers.
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FUTURE POSTS on this TOPIC
* setting it up for the first time
* tips and tricks and hacks
CORRECTIONS
- The comment about the 2-rings on the yellow cable should have read “not unexpected”. I omitted the “not” when it was posted which completely changed the meaning ~ which is often the case with “not” :). Correction made 6/8/16 PM
- If you see anything else that need correcting, especially if it meaningful, please leave a comment.