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Just like they did with the Xbox Live and Halo ATLAS apps, Microsoft has brought over Kinectimals to iOS, where players can enjoy interacting with their cute, cuddly e-animals. The title was only released a few months ago on Windows Phone, but features Xbox Live achievements and connectivity with the Xbox 360 version. The question on many minds is -- of course -- why is Microsoft releasing these apps on other platforms?

For the Xbox Live app, Microsoft provided iPhone/iPad/iPod owners with limited functionality for the online gaming service. It still comes nowhere close to what Windows Phone provides with achievements and true integration. As well as this, the app gives iPad users an insight as to how a Windows 8 tablet app could look like, with the Metro UI being implemented. For ATLAS and Kinectimals, the former is again providing functionality to other platforms (so the software giant doesn't come across as creating a monopoly) at a fee while the WP version is free, while the latter is to not only earn revenue from the fairly large iOS market, but it could be that Microsoft is almost attempting to re-brand itself. The only downer is Kinectimals was supposed to be exclusive for us Windows Phone owners. What do Apple followers think of the big M? Excel, Word and Powerpoint.

Perhaps we are seeing the company attempting to change that perception? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Kinectimals can be downloaded from the AppStore for $2.99 for those with iDevices.

Thanks to everyone who sent in the tip!

Gore Verbinski, best known for directing The Pirates of the Caribbean series of films, has signed a deal between his company Blind Wink Productions and Microsoft. The partnership will see the studio produce exclusive content for Microsoft's platforms - including the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone. The first title to emerge is an Xbox Live Arcade game, which will use Kinect and is set to be released next year. 

"Audiences consume content very differently today. As an idea house, we at Blind Wink are looking forward to our partnership with Microsoft. Their various platforms give us access to new methods of distribution, allowing us to extend into emerging markets and connect more directly with the audience."

Founded in 2008 and first production being Rango, we should be able to look forward to some unique and creative content from the studio, going down paths and bringing new games to the platforms.

Source: Hollywood Reporter, via: The Verge

This will either please you or make you extremely upset that you'd enjoy smashing up an iDevice without a second thought, but Microsoft has released an Xbox Live app for iOS (available for free). The app will allow users to keep track of their Xbox Live account and check out what their friends are up to. To be honest, it's a smart move. It shows Microsoft is not attempting to create a monopoly with Windows, but allow other platforms to have some kind of connectivity with the software giant's product line and services. Sure, Apple fans will now have an app that will allow them to perform tasks that we can accomplish on our Windows Phones, but can they play Xbox Live titles? No. Do they have integration with the OS? No. Do they have as many features as we do altogether? Certainly not.

Features include:

• Read and send messages to friends
• Manage your friends list, invite new friends
• Read and Edit your full LIVE profile (name, bio, motto)
• Change your avatar features/items with the avatar closet
• View and compare your achievement progress with friends

Should iOS users want the full experience, they can come to Windows Phone, but should they be avid Xbox gamers, then there's no harm in Microsoft allowing them to use the service while on the go (but with limits of course). An interesting feature is beacons, which will alert friends that you wish them to join you on an activity. Don't forget that we have the Xbox Companion app in our arsenal too. Even on my iPad 2, Metro UI looks sweet. You can download the free app from the App Store.

Source: Major Nelson, thanks to everyone who tipped us!

We've been talking about Microsoft needs to capitalize on their Xbox 360 success with Windows Phone--tie them together so that Windows Phone becomes synonymous with the popular gaming console. The companion app that's coming tomorrow is a big step in that direction.

Another step would be to ride on the coattails of some of the platform's most popular games--in this case Xbox Kinect's Dance Central 2. Dance Central 2 is the wildly popular sequel to one of last year's biggest Kinect titles. It's that game that allows you to hilariously embarrass yourself in front of friends and family as you attempt to mimic dancing while the Kinect tries to, ahem, correct your moves.

Now we just received this picture of what appears to be a mini-Dance Central 2 game coming to Windows Phone. In the game description, it reads:

"Record a video of yourself or your friends dancing to one of seven Dance Central 2 tracks and turn your video into a polished music video with the look and feel of Dance Central.

Share your video on Facebook or challenge your friends to "battle". Coming Soon!"

We have to believe it's legit, after all, who'd make up something so potentially humiliating? (Or maybe we're the wrong demographic). Regardless of who this is for we really dig the idea of these companion apps. No word on if it uses the Kinect like Kinectimals or if it is completely independent. We're going to send our own Paul Acevedo on a recon mission to dig up some more info.

Big thanks to Anon for the pic!

Hot on the heels of the Xbox 360 Dashboard update comes the Xbox Companion App for Windows Phone. The Companion App for Windows Phone is one of the first apps that will truly augment your Xbox 360 user experience, giving you a parallel method to effortless retrieve current information about media, in addition to selecting things to watch. From the Windows Phone Blog a few months ago:

• "Finding Content: Just like on your Xbox, the Xbox Companion gives you instant access to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace catalog of games, movies, music and TV shows. I used it to search “Featured Content” and pulled up the X-Men: First Class.
• Learn more about what you’re watching, listening to, or playing: Once I found the movie and touched the movie tile, the Xbox companion app took me to an info page that has all the related details about. And the content is really rich, too – for example, when I swiped to the “cast” page and touched an actor’s name, like star James McAvoy, I was taken to other movies starring him. From there, I could easily learn more about the other movies, their cast, etc. It’s an infinite road of interactive content.
• Control & Play: Once I selected the content and hit play, the Xbox Companion flips into “controller mode” in which I could navigate my Xbox, or control video playback of your video. The best part here is that controls are virtually instantaneous – easily as fast as using my controller or a TV remote."

We got to personally play with the app back in October at Nokia World and we were quite impressed with it. The main reason? It didn't feel gimmicky or something "cool but we'd never use" (like our front-facing camera on our phone), but instead it felt like an app that we would use a lot and for legitimate reasons. Combined with that Xbox 360 Dashboard update, which we've been rocking for a few weeks now, this mini-overhaul to the Xbox should be pretty killer for an already great system.

We'll keep our eyes peeled for it on Tuesday and in the meantime, you can check out our video hands on after the break.

We told you back in September that Microsoft was working with content providers to bring television and movies to XBox 360.  Verizon, one of said providers, has announced that a FiOS TV app will be coming to XBox 360 next month, which will allow subscribers to watch their FiOS channels directly through their XBox.  The app will feature an initial lineup of 26 channels, with more to come later, and will also be integrated with Kinect, so users can surf using voice and gesture commands.

If that weren't cool enough, Verizon is sweetening the deal by offering a $89.99/month bundle to new subscribers, which includes FiOS TV, 35/35Mbps internet, and voice service.  Subscribers will also get a 12-month XBox Live membership and HALO: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition.  Verizon is taking orders for this contract-free bundle from now until January 21.  Current FiOS customers can call now to sign up.

To celebrate the lunch of their new service, Verizon is partnering with gaming network Machinima to sponsor the Gamers’ Choice Award, to be announced at Machinima’s Inside Gaming Awards on Dec. 9. You can vote for your game of the year through Facebook or Twitter.  Your vote also enters you a chance to win a grand prize of two years of Verizon FiOS triple-play service, a multi-room DVR, a Microsoft Kinect and 40,000 Microsoft points.  There are also daily 4,000 MS point prizes until December 8.

Source: Verizon

I don't know why people don't like Steve Ballmer, I think the guy is entertaining during presentations and has brought Windows a long way since the Vista flop. We now have Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Xbox set to perform increasingly well and integration has finally come around. One thing we have known for a while (since Microsoft announced they would introduce Metro UI to the Xbox and Windows 8) is that the Windows Phone platform should gain some momentum through a unified experience.

As Ballmer replied to a post-PC era question at a recent company shareholders' meeting:

"We've got broad Windows initiatives driving Windows down to the phone. With Windows 8, you'll see incredible new form factors powered by Windows from tablets, small, large, pens, smaller, bigger, room-sized displays."

The reception of the new look of not only Windows 8, but the upcoming Xbox dashboard refresh too, has been generally positive. Sure there is some skepticism as there would be with any radical alteration, but the combined eco-system will eventually prove to be the best chance for Windows Phone to pick up some speed. Metro UI will be the backbone of the Windows interface and will differentiate Microsoft's product line from competitors.

Update: Fixed the quote, which was misinterpreted.

Via: Liveside, BusinessInsider

So day 2 here at Nokia World and we got to play around with the Xbox 360 Companion App for Windows Phone 7, featured here on a Nokia Lumia 710. The app is planned for "this winter" which is a little later than we were hoping and it also means what you're watching is still in beta.

Having said that it's pretty freakin' sweet. Think of it as an augmented remote. Sure it an control the Xbox for media, selecting movies and even using a virutal D-pad. But more importantly, it pulls down data about shows or moves you're watching, gives you general information and allows you to browse on the phone instead of the Xbox itself.

While not hologram material, it's certainly headed down the right road by providing deeper integration between the Xbox and Windows Phone and we know we'll be itching to get our hands on this ASAP.

We lightly touched on the three screens dream of Microsoft back at the Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles earlier this year. CEO Steve Ballmer wrapped up his speech with a slide that showed the tight integration between products, seen above. For a good example of the "three screens" vision, check out the RC-AirSim demo.

Tim Carmody at Wired has published a superb write up of the integration we are starting to witness between Microsoft's product line. He spoke about the Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone that Microsoft’s Derek Snyder demonstrated. Derek created a scenario where you are watching an animated film on the Xbox but can't put a name to one of the voice-actors. The first call would be to get out a smartphone and search on Google or IMDB. With the Xbox Companion app, you can see all the relavant information about that film you're watching right in your hands.

"What’s more, it doesn’t just do this over Wi-Fi, if the Xbox and WinPhone are on the same local network. It can do it completely through the cloud, using the common Windows Live ID on both devices. If the Xbox had 3G/4G cellular data like the Windows Phone does, you wouldn’t even need a local router."

We're getting away from the central workstation with file browsing and one means of input. Metro will enable more intuitive ways to browse files, apps will integrate with each other to pull photos as well as other media, which will make the system appear less layered and more fluid. Why keep visiting Explorer to find files when apps can pull the content for you in one place?

There's no central hub with Microsoft's "three screens" philosophy. Windows 8 (tablet and desktop), Windows Phone, Live and Xbox will be connected, not only by service and information, but by interface. There's nothing different. Someone who's never used a Windows Phone before, but is on a Windows 8 desktop on a daily basis, will feel right at home with the familiarity of Metro. Personal information, contacts, social networking and everything the consumer needs is all synchronised between Live enabled systems.

And with Skype on board, this really is Skynet. Check out the full article at Wired, it's worth the read.

Source: Wired