8 Things to Know About Microsoft’s SmartGlass

by Christopher Freeburn | June 5, 2012 10:38 am

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT[1]) is making a bid to extend its control of home entertainment systems beyond its gaming consoles.

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles on Monday, the company unveiled[2] its SmartGlass application, which will eventually be released for Xbox and mobile devices, USA Today said.

SmartGlass allows users to integrate their gaming and video viewing experiences across multiple devices, including game consoles, personal computers, smartphones and tablet computers.

Here are eight things to know about SmartGlass:

1. The app will be released for Windows 8 smartphones and tablets, as well as smartphones and mobile devices running Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL[3]) iOS and Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG[4]) Andriod OS.
2. The app allows users to sync their mobile devices with the Xbox 360 console.
3. Movies and TV programming viewed through the Xbox 360 will come with interactive features, like maps, cast biographies and synopses that can be accessed through sync’d mobile devices.
4. SmartGlass will use programming information stored in the cloud. That data will be transmitted to enabled devices as users access it.
5. In games, SmartGlass will offer statistics, maps and information about game players and targets.
6. The system may allow users to transfer game-play from the Xbox console to a mobile device, though Microsoft hasn’t confirmed that feature.
7. The app also lets touchscreen devices be used as a mouse and keyboard for Web browsing via Internet Explorer.
8. SmartGlass is expected to launch in the fall.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/06/8-things-to-know-about-microsofts-smartglass/

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