Android By Russell Holly Dec. 12, 2013 4:01 pm
Microsoft may have secured another year of NORAD’s help tracking Santa, but Google is pulling out all the stops to make their app and website better than ever. With Chromecast support added to the Android app, Google’s Santa Tracker can now play out on your TV for kids and adults to enjoy.
There’s something inherently silly about the amount of effort Google pours into their Santa Tracker every year, but it’s hard not to be impressed with the results. This year the app and website have new activities every day leading up to the main event with social sharing embedded, and cute videos for kids to use as they explore the North Pole. The recent dedication to the mobile app has been especially impressive, and now that Chromecast support has been added you can share the Tracker with everyone.
The experience is a little jittery at first when you push the tracker to the Chromecast. It’s clear that the hardware in that HDMI dongle is working overtime to draw everything that going on, but once it gets going the animations smooth out. From your phone you have control over where you go, so you can enjoy the countdown clock or you can go see what the elves are up to.
There’s also a mission control setup that has a little more action on the screen, but for the most part these are little more than screensavers. The real benefit here will be on Christmas Eve, when the Tracker starts following Santa in real time across Google Maps.
Santa Tracker is free through the Google Play Store, and the Chromecast icon will show up in the top right corner of the app as soon as you are on the same wireless network as a recognized device. From there, all you need to do is sit back and watch your children light up with excitement.
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There’s something inherently silly about the amount of effort Google pours into their Santa Tracker every year, but it’s hard not to be impressed with the results. This year the app and website have new activities every day leading up to the main event with social sharing embedded, and cute videos for kids to use as they explore the North Pole. The recent dedication to the mobile app has been especially impressive, and now that Chromecast support has been added you can share the Tracker with everyone.
The experience is a little jittery at first when you push the tracker to the Chromecast. It’s clear that the hardware in that HDMI dongle is working overtime to draw everything that going on, but once it gets going the animations smooth out. From your phone you have control over where you go, so you can enjoy the countdown clock or you can go see what the elves are up to.
There’s also a mission control setup that has a little more action on the screen, but for the most part these are little more than screensavers. The real benefit here will be on Christmas Eve, when the Tracker starts following Santa in real time across Google Maps.
Santa Tracker is free through the Google Play Store, and the Chromecast icon will show up in the top right corner of the app as soon as you are on the same wireless network as a recognized device. From there, all you need to do is sit back and watch your children light up with excitement.
Now read: Angry Birds Go! drives straight into your wallet with in-app purchase overload
More...
