Google takes on AirPlay with Cast. Photo: Google

Google today announced a new Apple AirPlay competitor called Google Cast, which lets you stream audio from a whole bunch of popular apps to Cast-compatible speakers. The search giant has teamed up with a number of popular services for its launch, including Pandora, Rdio, and NPR One.

The Venue 8 measures just 6mm thick. Photo: Dell

Dell doesn’t usually impress us with its Android-powered offerings, but its new Venue 8 7840 tablet could be far more impressive than the onslaught of new slates we see at CES this week. It’s powered by a speedy Intel processor, has four cameras, and takes the title of the world’s thinnest tablet to date, measuring just 6mm thick.

HP’s Stream mini is a PC that fits in the palm of your hand. Photo: HP

Google’s miniature Chromeboxes make desktop computing more portable than ever before, and HP’s hoping to do the same for those who prefer Windows over Chrome OS. The company’s new Stream mini and Pavilion mini PCs look like an Apple TV or a Roku, but they run Windows 8.1 on specifications you’d usually expect to see in a budget notebook.

WATCH will work with iOS as well as Android. Photo: Alcatel Onetouch

Alcatel Onetouch wanted the world to see its new smartwatch so badly that it actually previewed the device last week ahead of its official unveiling. But at CES in Las Vegas today, the company confirmed a few juicy details we didn’t already know — such as compatibility with iOS devices, and the WATCH’s $149 price tag.

Is this Samsung’s best promotion yet? Photo: Samsung

Samsung has long been giving away access to premium services as an incentive to buy its products, but its latest offering is by far its best yet. For a limited time only, those who purchase select Samsung goods will get a whole year of Netflix absolutely free — as well as access to the company’s own Milk Music streaming service.