No matter how large the displays get on our mobile devices we’ll always want to have the ability to mirror content from our devices to the television’s significantly larger screen. Some smart TVs have built in support for Miracast streaming whereas dongles like the Chromecast can be hooked up to others so that content can be mirrored. There are already many Miracast enabled dongles out in the market and today Microsoft added one of its own to the mix.
These adapters are different from Chromecast since they don’t require supported applications, and because Miracast is a widely used standard that’s not just limited to smartphones and tablets.
The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter costs $59.99 and it mirrors anything and everything on the screen of a Miracast enabled device. Don’t think that support is only limited to the company’s own mobile platform, Windows Phone, any Android device with Miracast will work with it as well.
There is one major caveat though. It is not possible to discreetly multitask on a device when content is being streamed over Miracast. The entire screen is mirrored which is why you can’t switch to another app when media content is being streamed unless you want everyone to see on the big screen exactly what app you’re using on your device.
The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter plugs into the HDMI port and uses a USB port for power. It can be pre-ordered right away in U.S. and Canada through Microsoft’s online store.
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