Right now if you were to turn on your TV and go to the right video source for your Chromecast, you would be greeted by a relatively modest-looking homescreen that contains the time, a Google-chosen rotating selection of wallpaper and very little else. Most of the time, we aren’t on the the homescreen long enough to notice how limited it is, but for those wishing the homescreen offered more? You might soon get your wish.
According to Reddit user asjmcguire, poking around the Chromecast homescreen source code has turned up several javascript references relating to the gathering of temperature and other basic weather data. Additionally, weather-oriented icons have also been discovered. Based on the limited info we have, we speculate Google could be preparing a simple weather system for the homescreen that tells us the temperature and then gives us a symbol relating to just how cold it is, whether its raining, etc.
Although the weather info is the only major change spotted in the source code, asjmcguire has also found photo descriptions and locations of photos that indicate we may eventually have more choices when it comes to the homescreen’s wallpaper as well. Whether that simply means more options or the ability to user-define the background, remains unseen.
Now it’s important to note that just because these changes have been spotted, doesn’t mean Google is planning to bring them to the Chromecast right away. Of course, neither of these new ‘features’ are exactly world-changing, but it looks like another step in the right direction for the little-dongle-that-could.
Here’s to hoping this is just the beginning of an even ‘smarter’ Chromecast, as I’m sure there are many users out there that would love reminders, notifications and Google Now-like cards right on their Homescreen. In the meantime, for those looking to ‘upgrade’ their Chromecast experience, you might want to check out the Tasker-based AutoCast.
previous post
Galaxy S5 TV commercial touts “meaningful innovation”
