Smart as in smartglass

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So, it was E3 week and most of you would be expecting gaming related news to be washed ashore by the cartload. Well, as it turns out, there was some general tech news for you to get excited about, as well. Microsoft, in a bid to make their primarily gaming related console even more technology decentralised, announced Xbox SmartGlass.
Xbox SmartGlass is designed to use the devices you already own (like your smartphones, iPads, and Windows 8 enabled tablets) to interact with your Xbox 360. Think of it now as not only a media center that you used to play your content on, but a media hub, where you interact with your content more engagingly — your Xbox dashboard, but now within arm’s reach. It’s going to be an extension to the Xbox Live app launched a few months ago. Let’s look at some examples.
Let’s say you are watching a TV show or a movie on your TV. If you use the app on your device(s), you’ll see a host of relevant information (cast, reviews, synopses, etc.), but if content providers wish, they can add an additional layer of interactivity to it. A particular demo involved displaying an interactive map of Westeros, reacting to your position in the world, as an episode of Game of Thrones progressed.
You can also use it as an extended screen for your games. This, for gamers, is the most exciting, and in essence, blows away the concept of the Wii U’s large control scheme. In a game of Madden, for instance, you may decide the entire tactics list of a future play with your fingers, and have it play out on your screen.
Perhaps the most technology centric feature of the SmartGlass update will be the addition of full web browsing using Internet Explorer on your console. Unlike most Smart TVs, where the use of a remote is wonky and inefficient, SmartGlass attempts to use your touch devices as a keyboard and track pad. While most apps allow you to do this on your PC, this adoption is nothing but pleasant news.
So there it is. With the addition of SmartGlass, the Xbox 360 pretty much converts your standard TV into a “Smart” one, giving you control over your entertainment options, your Live apps, gaming extensibility and full web browsing. Expect the update to land around fall this year.

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