Microsoft has announced the new Xbox SmartGlass companion App that could turn a phone or tablet into a secondary screen for TV or to a game controller. The Xbox SmartGlass is basically meant to interact with the content on the TV and also control it. The SmartGlass app will be made available on the popular mobile operating systems which includes Windows Phone, iOS and Android.
One can install Xbox SmartGlass on the Android, iOS or Windows Phone devices to use it with the Xbox 360 console. The content exchange takes places in two way street – pushing content to companion app and push content from the companion app.
The Xbox SmartGlass App loaded smartphone or tablet can be used as the game controller for the select Xbox platform games supporting that. Also you can you can play your favourite music, video or movie on the device itself using that app. Else you can push the content to a TV connected with the Xbox 360 over wireless connection. In a way, users can get to explore the Internet on the TV screen.
Apart from that, Xbox SmartGlass app aims to offer richer and interactive screen experiences that can be customised based on what is being aired on the TV. For instance, if you are watching a cricket match then you would be able to check and view the player as well as team statistics on your phone or tablet in the SmartGlass app.
For every function to work perfectly, there are two essential things that need to exist – Xbox 360 game console connected to the TV and Wireless Connectivity. With the Xbox SmartGlass app, Microsoft aims to provide a converging entertainment experience in the living room. The functionality and features though will likely to differ between Android, iOS and Windows Phone versions of the SmartGlass app.