• Surprise! Microsoft Launches Xbox Live App For iPhone And iPad

    Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

    Greg Kumparak is the Mobile Editor at Techcrunch. Greg has been writing for the TechCrunch network since May of 2008. Greg was born just outside of San Jose, and now lives in the East Bay of California. → Learn More

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    mzl.xklwygju

    Whoa. Here’s something I didn’t think I’d be saying this morning: Microsoft is killin’ it this week.

    In the past 48 hours, they’ve launched a massively overhauled interface for the Xbox 360, released a much improved Netflix 360 app, and debuted an app that lets you control your 360 from a Windows Phone 7 handset. And for their next move: they’ve just launched an Xbox Live application (fittingly dubbed “My Xbox Live”) for iOS.

    Now, the app doesn’t seem to replicate the 360-controlling features of the WP7 app they launched this morning — that, understandably, seems to be a Windows Phone exclusive. It does, however, duplicate many of the Live-centric features that Windows Phone had at launch.

    You can:

    • Change your 3D avatar’s appearance
    • Message your Xbox Live friends
    • View your achievements
    • Peruse Xbox news

    While I’m sure more than a few Xbox-obsessed Windows Phone 7 handset owners will be a bit chaffed to lose mobile exclusivity on these features, the jump to iOS was pretty much inevitable. My favorite bit of the whole thing: the not-so-subtle nod to Windows Phone 7′s user interface down on the bottom bar of the iPhone app.

    The app is universal, and thus custom tailored for both the iPhone and the iPad (and it’s really, really damn pretty on the iPad. Solid job, Microsoft.) You can find it in the App Store right here.


    Company: Microsoft
    Website: microsoft.com
    Launch Date: April 4, 1974
    IPO: NASDAQ:MSFT

    Microsoft, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, is a veteran software company, best known for its Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. Starting in 1980 Microsoft formed a partnership with IBM allowing Microsoft to sell its software package with the computers IBM manufactured. Microsoft is widely used by professionals worldwide and largely dominates the American corporate market. Additionally, the company has ventured into hardware with consumer products such as the Zune and...

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