Alongside the Lumia smartphones, engineering experience, and staffing, Microsoft also picked up a solid like of peripherals when it purchased Nokia's Devices and Services section. One of those was the HD-10 Wireless Display Adapter. This hockey puck sized device hooks into a display via an HDMI cable and mirrors the screen of a Lumia Windows Phone. It's a simple task that the puck performs well, and while it might not have the flexibility of Google's Chromecast, it sets out a clear use-case and meets it comfortably.
There's been some thought put into usability as well as functionality. The HD-10 connects to the Lumia handset over Bluetooth (I'm using the Lumia 830 for this review), so while you have two more cables behind your TV (a microUSB based power cable, and the HDMI connection cable) it's a wire-free solution for the front of house.
(Read more about the Lumia 830 in my review of Microsoft's Android-influenced smartphone).
While you can make the initial handshake via a Bluetooth connection by the traditional way of search, discovery, and pairing; the HD-10 is equipped with NFC, so a simple tap of the Lumia handset to the area of the NFC chip on the puck is all that is needed to make the connection. It will also start the screen sharing software automatically and hand over the bulk of the streaming to the local Wi-fi connection. The HD-10's NFC chip is actually held in a small plastic disk that sits flush on top of the puck. This can be removed and placed in a convenient location, so the puck stays under the TV but the NFC chip to start the screen sharing can sit on a coffee table or convenient location, rather than right next to the big screen. It's a nice touch that tries to keep the user experience as smooth as possible.
The screen sharing software in the Lumia handsets and the HD-10 are based around the miracast standard, so the HD-10 can double up as a Bluetooth based miracast receiver given the right software on your own device. A quick test shows the Microsoft Surface Pro computers work well with the puck, which adds to the versatility on offer with this peripheral.
The HD-10 is not without issues. Currently on sale for $60 ($90), this is not a cheap accessory - I can't help notice that it is double the cost of Google's Chromecast. You also need to add the cost of an HDMI cable to the package, as the retail package ships with an AC adaptor but no connection cables.
(Read more about Chromecast and the 400 million 'casts it achieved in its first twelve months).
The HD-10 Wireless Display Adapter is not trying to replicate Google Chrome. It sets out to prove an easy way to get a Windows Phone screen mirrored to a large display. It does this with ease and minimal fuss. What you do with that is up to you - be it presentations, demonstrations, video and audio playback, or anything else. It fits in nicely with the Enterprise focus that Windows Phone carries with it and I could see a bundle of HD-10's being included in a support package for Enterprise customers making a mixed equipment purchase of handsets, phablets, and tablets from Microsoft.
If you are inside the Windows Phone ecosystem, then this is one of the few screencasting options open to you. It's not going to be a must-have product for everyone, but it has a strong use case for a niche audience that can absorb the relatively high price.
Disclosure: Microsoft provided an HD-10 Wireless Display Adapter for review purposes.
