Google had launched the cheapest wireless streaming solution approximately two years back which we all know as the Google Chromecast. It has been doing extremely well worldwide at a mere price point of $35. Last December Google brought its streaming stick to India for a price point of Rs. 2,999 but before that a Bangalore based startup had already launched a similar product called as Teewe. Teewe was launched at an introductory pricing of Rs. 1999 to sell exclusively in India. Teewe as mentioned before was the first product from newly formed tech startup which although was available at a cheaper price tag but had its own pros and cons compared to the flagship product by Google.
Teewe self-proclaimed as the ‘India’s Favourite Streaming Stick’ by Mango Man Consumer Electronics Pvt. Ltd. earlier this year got an upgrade to Teewe 2 priced for Rs. 2,399. It’s selling on their website teewe.in and on the online retailer Amazon.in
But what’s actually improved?
Well to answer this, let’s have a look at the technical configuration of the Teewe 2.
- Dual-core 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor
- 1GB DDR3 RAM
- Quad-core GPU
- Works on 802.11b/g/n Wireless Standards (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
(Unfortunately we are not aware of the specifics beyond this as of now. Will probably update when we have more information.)
The original Teewe was much bigger than the Google Chromecast, even though the Teewe 2 itself is bigger but when compared with the original Teewe it has reduced considerable space. Adding on to the improved technical specifications, the prominent ones are a better Wi-Fi chip to keep a stable network connection and a microUSB power input for external source for fewer connection issues.
Why should I consider buying a streaming solution in the first case?
Most of us consume multimedia from the Internet. It can be in the form of audio, video or maybe text as per our level of amusement. Sometimes especially in the case of visuals we try to get the content on-screen with a biggest view possible which is when televisions come in place. We have been using USB flash drives or an external cable to connect the display for playing content on that bigger screen. Won’t it be easy for you when the solution goes wireless? It definitely works for me. Technology is evolving every single day, and we firmly believe we all should adapt these changes unless you still want to live under the rock. Google Chromecast and Teewe are few innovations in the flow which aims to make our lifestyle better.
What is so different about Teewe 2 compared to Google Chromecast?
Teewe 2 runs on its own ecosystem having apps supporting all platforms, literally all. There are apps supporting:
- Android 4.0 and higher
- Microsoft Windows PC Vista and higher
- Mac OS X 10.6 and higher
- Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1
- Chrome plugin
- Above all, there is a LINUX app. (I rest my case here)
Secondly, Teewe 2 can stream local content seamlessly out of the box without any external aid which clearly proves the point that it is made for India. Just to make the bonus fact stand out, Teewe 2 can stream local content even when you are connected to a WiFi network without Internet connection. It just needs a local network. 
Does Teewe 2 support third party apps as well?
Windows Phone and Linux are the two rare platforms which work equally well with Teewe 2 just like others. Teewe 2 runs on a modified version of the linux operating system. All the desktop apps are JAVA compliant so even for streaming it might require a tiny bit of your system resources for its uninterrupted usage.
Being an avid Linux user, the only way I can get an access to a service is when there’s a web solution for it. Teewe having a proper linux desktop app was much win for me. I believe this shall be the case with Windows Phone users as well. The apps are beautifully designed but as a matter of fact they aren’t perfect. We found few hiccups while using the apps on every single platform which makes the problem universal.
Listing out the pros first:
- Excellent thought to segregate and bind metadata for locally stored content
- Caches current playback so that the content keeps playing inspite of having connectivity issues with the main unit
- Chrome Plugin extracts play-able multimedia content on a page and makes it cozy for Teewe to play.
And the cons:
- Connectivity issues, blaming the WiFi
- Mobile Apps YouTube search is sometimes not accurate
- Desktop apps sometimes can’t find metadata for a TV show or a movie
Google Chromecast can totally take on this case, since they are providing an API for developers to play with. Teewe being a closed platform as of now, with I believe a different target to achieve doesn’t have to do the same but they should keep innovating to expand the ecosystem.
Can Teewe 2 mirror my displays?
Yes, Teewe 2 can mirror displays but it is nowhere near good. Even Google Chromecast can’t do the same. This is because they are relying on a local networks which are anyway congested and has its own limitations. Google Chromecast can only mirror few Android devices more of them are coming its way whereas Teewe welcomes all with open arms.
Miracast hands-down has the best mirroring experience as of yet. Well, actually that’s its only job. Prior to trying out this, I had bought Lenovo WD100 HDMI adapter which mirrors smartphone displays. I tried to play a few games, play AV and most of the times it works pretty well. The Lenovo WD100 creates it’s own access point connecting the other device using Wi-Fi Direct. This theoretically outputs min lossy content mirroring the display. But it too had a few hiccups inspite of being connected via Wi-Fi Direct. Just an FYI, it was not able to mirror desktop displays and was only limited to Android and Windows Phone smartphones.
To share our thoughts on the product, we have this article framed in a Q&A format primarily comprising of questions I had in my mind and some asked by people around me. In case you have anything else to ask about Teewe, feel free to e-meet us on our social channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus as well. In case you are convinced by the product, hop on to their website teewe.in or the online retailer Amazon.in as per your preference.
