What is one of the most talked about recent innovations associated with cellphones? Yes, I know this question is a very vague one but the answer to this week’s edition of 20 questions is Siri. Voice commands and the ability to get a response from software is a kin to something from a movie. Yet it seems we are ever closer to it being really useful.
Well, yesterday Microsoft unveiled something similar to Siri but it is not for cellphones, rather for console gaming. We are currently in the middle of E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) which provides a hint of where the console gaming industry is headed for the next 12 months. Microsoft has dropped a bomb on every rival they have in the gaming space. They unveiled voice commands for gaming which is something that no one expected. The implications of this development are huge. Suddenly Sony and Nintendo need to have something that they can counter this announcement with. The announcement is part of an arsenal of things that were announced yesterday. It highlights the impact that Kinect has had and also how important the Xbox has become for Microsoft. The Xbox 360 will be getting a special version of the Internet Explorer browser which has been optimised for big screen TV’s. This is something that even Google has battled with. Secondly, they have also added more streaming content to their current offering and that in itself provides the ability for the Xbox 360 to be seen more as a multimedia system than a pure console gaming machine.
However, the biggest announcement is the streaming app called “Smart Glass”. Smart Glass provides the Xbox 360 the additional ability to stream content to cellphones and tablets. That for me is super powerful as users will also be able to control TV screens by using the Smart Glass app (as seen below). It seems that the content will be able to be accessed from Android, iOS and Windows Phone based cellphones and tablets. Tablets and cellphones will also be able to operate as a controller for Xbox 360 game console. Microsoft has made the Xbox platform a whole lot more attractive for owners and potential buyers. (At the time there are no indications when these announcements will hit South African shores.)
