Mozilla may be working on a Chromecast-style streaming stick

Mozilla is reportedly plotting a Firefox OS-based streaming stick to rival the PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2hvc3RpbmdraXRhLmNvbQ0iIHRhcmdldD0iX2JsYW5rIiByZWw9Im5vZm9sbG93Ij5Hb29nbGUgPC9hPg==Chromecast device.

GigaOm brings a hands-on PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+dmlkZW8gPC9hPg==showing the as-yet-unannounced device in action. According to report the stick has no name, no release date and it's unclear which markets it will launch in.

According to the report, the streaming stick, in its current form, is capable of running PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+QW5kcm9pZCA8L2E+and PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+aU9TIDwvYT4=apps will also allow developers to create apps that play nice with Windows Phone, the Amazon Fire platform.

As always with Mozilla, the focus will be on openness, the reporter who has been 'tracking the device' with Mozilla insiders for months said.

No restrictions

In response to the report a Mozilla spokesperson suggested the hardware may not be the company's doing, but that of a third-party using the open source software.

"Firefox OS is an open platform freely available for any company to build on top of without restriction. This means companies can experiment with different form factors that run Firefox OS," a spokesperson said.

Could Mozilla compete with the almighty Chromecast? Let us know your thoughts below.

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Via The Verge

4oD's Android app is no longer an Inbetweener with 3G/4G streaming

Channel 4 has updated its 4oD app for Android to offer programme streaming over 3G and 4G mobile networks.

The update comes precisely two weeks after the broadcaster finally updated its PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ob3N0aW5na2l0YS5jb20NIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+aU9TIDwvYT4=app to accommodate mobile data streaming of live and on demand content.

Until very recently users of the application on both platforms were limited to streaming programming over Wi-Fi.

Users were, and still are, available to download programmes from the last 30 days for offline viewing, but the addition of mobile data streaming will enable those spur-of-the-moment viewing decisions.

Parity

The feature now gives 4oD parity with the BBC iPlayer and ITV player apps which also have the ability to stream over 3G and 4G

The updated app, which can now be downloaded from the PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2hvc3RpbmdraXRhLmNvbQ0iIHRhcmdldD0iX2JsYW5rIiByZWw9Im5vZm9sbG93Ij5Hb29nbGUgPC9hPg==Play store, also brings access to 4Shorts, offering hundreds of classic clips from the archives along with a host of original shorts.

Users are, of course, advised to use Wi-Fi whenever possible so as not to drain their data allowance.

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Via Engadget