It was a moment that evoked the rumors this. Today, it‘s official. This morning, Microsoft unveiled the Microsoft HD 10, an accessory for the Nokia Lumia for sharing the contents of his smartphone on a screen with an HDMI port.
This is just the newest weapon against Microsoft dongle streaming Chromecast Google.
The HD-10 uses Miracast technology and lets you share the screen of a smartphone or tablet on a large screen.
The difference between the new product from Microsoft and Google Chromecast is that it makes the screen mirroring.
A little explanation is in order. When launched, the Chromecast possible to stream content to a TV from a smartphone but only if the software application is compatible. And all apps from Play Store or the App Store does not have to.
For example, until now, the app Spotify (which we can consider as a must-have) is still not compatible with the Chromecast.
It was in the month of July 2014 Google announced that the Screen Mirroring was (finally) landed on Chromecast. But right now, this feature is not yet available for all devices.
Regarding the Microsoft HD 10, it uses the Miracast technology and by default will do Screen Mirroring or screen sharing.
This means that it will broadcast content directly to the screen of the smartphone, regardless of the app. Microsoft made sure to do well on the blog include Nokia, “no matter what you do on your Lumia, you’ll be able to see it in full HD.” On paper, the difference may seem small. But in practice, it will be very important.
Functionally, Microsoft also innovated. Indeed, rather than asking the user to set the phone to share the screen on the TV, the Redmond company has thought of a detachable base with a NFC. The user is thus only bring their device in contact with the base to enable sharing. Simple and immediate.
A more universal solution?
The important detail is that although Microsoft recommends using the HD 10 with Lumia smartphones, it is also compatible with all Miracast certified products (Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast).
Therefore, the Microsoft solution may be more universal. A list of products can be found on the website of the WiFi Alliance.
However, the Microsoft HD 10 is more expensive than the Chromecast which is sold at 30 euros, against 79 euros for the new product from Microsoft.
