E3 2012: Microsoft Announces XBOX SmartGlass

More TV and entertainment. Today, Microsoft announced more than 35 new content partners launching on Xbox over the next 12 months, including:

• Absolute Radio – U.K.
• Ameba TV – Canada, U.S.
• BreakMedia – Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, U.K., U.S.
• Comedy Central Stand Up – U.S.
• Comoyo – Denmark, Norway, Sweden
• Corus Entertainment’s Franklin the Turtle – Canada
• GameSpot TV – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
• Headweb – Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
• Indie Flix – U.S.
• Machinima – All Xbox LIVE markets
• Napster – Germany, U.K.
• Nickelodeon – U.S.
• Paramount Movies – U.S.
• Picturebox – U.K.
• Quickflix – Australia, New Zealand
• Rakuten ShowTime – Japan
• Revision3 – Canada, U.K., U.S.
• Rhapsody – U.S.
• RTL XL – Netherlands
• Slacker Radio – Canada, U.S.
• SnagFilms – U.S.
• Terra (Sunday TV) – Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico
• The AOL On Network – Australia, Canada, Netherlands, U.K., U.S.
• The Weather Channel – U.S.
• The Whistle – U.S.
• TOU.TV – Canada
• TV3 – Spain
• Twitch TV – U.S.
• Univision – U.S.
• Wuaki – Spain
• Youzee – Spain

Xbox Music revealed. Microsoft showed a sneak peek of Xbox Music, an all-new music service coming to Xbox 360, Windows Phone and Windows 8-based devices.

Xbox on Windows 8.  This year Xbox will bring premium entertainment experiences to more than 180 new countries around the world when Xbox on Windows 8 launches, featuring four Metro-style apps: Video, Music, Games and Xbox SmartGlass.  With Xbox on Windows 8, you can play games with friends and earn achievements, listen to music, and enjoy your favorite TV shows and movies wherever you go.  And with Xbox SmartGlass, you can start a movie or TV show on your Windows 8 device and finish it on the big-screen TV.

I could see myself using a tablet or phone to interact with games like Madden in the manner described and really look forward to seeing SmartGlass in practice.  I also really like the idea of getting live ESPN over the XBOX as well.

It’s also nice to see Microsoft providing tie-in products to reinforce the desirability of a Windows 8 tablet and Windows Phone handset.  By tieing those products into XBOX, it helps to deliver an integrated set of capabilities that will be interesting in use.