Microsoft SmartGlass app to go live on Friday with Windows 8
updated 05:34 am EDT, Tue October 23, 2012
Tablet-based control for Windows 8, RT from 26th, iOS to come
Microsoft has confirmed that its Xbox SmartGlass app will launch at the same time as Windows 8. Built within the Games part of Windows 8 and Windows RT, the app will allow users to navigate through the console, as well as act like a second support screen for certain games and applications.
Though the app will go live from October 26th, functionality on other platforms will not be immediately available. Versions for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7.5 will be available in the future, and will be an update and rebranding of the current My Xbox Live mobile app.
In what appears be an effort to capitalize on the Windows 8 launch, the Xbox 360 will see its subscription offer extended, the company said in a blog post. The original pilot, offering a console with 4GB of storage and the Kinect for $100 and two years of Xbox Live at $15 per month, has been joined by two other options. A version with a storage upgraded to 250GB will cost $100 without the Kinect, $150 with it, both also requiring the $15-per-month subscription for two years. The offer will also be expanded to cover a number of other retailers, rather than just the 16 Microsoft stores.
