Xbox Smartglass, Microsoft’s crazy experimental second-screen software, just got an Android version of the app today. Previously, it was only available on Windows Phone 7, which, come on, isn’t going to lead to mass adoption. Also worth noting: it got a release the same day as Windows 8 came out. A coincidence? With Microsoft, who knows.
Xbox Smartglass is a piece of software that’s meant to link your computer, tablet, or phone to the Xbox sitting under your TV. It’s actually a pretty impressive piece of software: it allows you to use your second screen as a information supplement to the main picture. One example is a map of Westeros as Game of Thrones plays on the television. Or, in a Wii U-esque move, it can display player information–like ammo, or health–while your Xbox displays a game. It lets you use your phone as a keyboard when using the Xbox’s Internet Explorer browser. In the future, Smartglass will have even more functionality, because Microsoft’s opened up its API to let third-party developers experiment with the software. If you’ve got an iPhone and want to try it out, tough luck; it’s still not available on iOS.
If you’ve got an Xbox and an Android Phone (running 4.0 or better), it’s a no-brainer. Go pick it up for free from Google Play.