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NBA Game Time, ESPN apps team up with Xbox SmartGlass
SmartGlass functionality, get off the bench and get into the game! Both the NBA Game Time and ESPN apps on Xbox Live have added SmartGlass functionality to their playbooks for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Sports metaphors.With SmartGlass, you can make selections and navigate options within each respective app with your smartphone or tablet. SmartGlass is available on iOS, Android and Windows 8 devices.There's also a new Sports Picks app that Microsoft has dropped onto Xbox Live, where you can make matchup selections across a variety of sports and compare them with friends on the leaderboards. Personally, we don't like to compete with our friends because, well, our friends usually win. Always win.
Editorial: The most exciting Xbox SmartGlass application isn't what you'd think
In Microsoft's ongoing battle to alter your association between "Xbox" and "Video Games," SmartGlass is its latest volley. Employing your favorite mobile device -- Windows Phone 7.5/8, Android, and iOS devices are all supported -- SmartGlass enables you to control your Dashboard experience, explore the web, input text, and much more. But what Microsoft's really banking on is its "second screen" functionality, essentially enabling another layer of interactivity with video, music, games, and the Xbox 360's other, less ballyhooed service: sports. It's this final layer that I found most enticing during a recent hands-on meeting with Microsoft. Could sports be the "killer app" that MS needs to get SmartGlass out of its tiny niche and into the hands of the masses? I think so.
NBA Game Time drives the lane on Xbox 360 today
The NBA's official app 'Game Time' comes to Xbox Live today, just in time for the 2012-2013 season tip-off on October 30. NBA League Pass Broadband subscribers with an Xbox Live Gold account will be able to livestream any regular season game.Game Time will have a lot of the same functionality found in other Xbox 360 streaming apps like ESPN, UFC and MLB.TV. You'll be able to watch live games, highlights and replays in HD, set a specific favorite team to follow and monitor team schedules and stats all through the app. Game Time also features the ability to watch up to two games at once, or watch a live game and catch up on highlights in a split-screen view. In keeping with Microsoft's mandate on all new Xbox 360 apps, Game Time features Kinect-enabled voice and gesture controls.
Panasonic rolls out new apps for its 2011 Viera Connect TVs, we go hands-on (video)
We knew Panasonic was going to unleash a slew of new apps for its Viera Connect televisions, and now it looks like they're finally ready to hit the ground running -- for its 2011 models, anyway. Back in January the company released its Viera SDK to developers, and now it has a smattering of games and sports apps to show for it, including the long-promised NBA Game Time, which includes standings and highlights from recent games. In case you're curious, there's no sign yet of Asphalt 5 HD, also announced at CES, though Panasonic says the title should be launching in the near future. Also on tap are MLS and NHL applications, each of which let you watch live games -- provided you subscribe to these leagues' live game packages. Panasonic says the NHL app is slated for the middle of this month, and you can expect MLS in early May. What we're most excited about, though, is an app that syncs with select NordicTrack treadmills (due out "later this year"), pairing your run with a first-person view in Google Earth. We can't wait to embark on a simulated run through the streets of Paris (versus, you know, actually going there), but alas, Panasonic wasn't ready to demo the app quite yet. As always, Viera's apps are arranged in a grid of large squares, right down to the standings and recorded matches in MLS, all of which makes these sets easy to navigate using a remote control. (We'll be curious to see what it's like playing Asphalt 5 with the remote, which you'll have to do if you don't want to spring for an optional wireless gaming controller.) The interface adds the occasional visual flourish, too, including a carousel of NHL standings and fly-in news categories in the AP's news app. The software is generally responsive, although you might find yourself waiting a few extra seconds for news blurbs and other information-heavy tidbits to load. Want a sneak peak at these apps before they roll out this spring? Hit the link and check out the gallery and hands-on video. %Gallery-120464%
