From the Forums: Xbox companion, SmartGlass and Exclusive apps (Hot Thread)

WP Central

In this week'southward hot thread we are talking about Microsoft giving away all our exclusive apps. Earlier in the week we received the news that Microsoft was releasing the XBOX companion app on Android and updating the IOs version to 1.5 bringing features that even Windows Telephone doesn't take. The question here is does information technology affair? Is Microsoft shooting itself in the foot giving away exclusive apps to other platforms?

In this thread "Well the scumbags did it....just go ahead and throw the ecosystem away" forum member inteller is saying just that. He thinks that by making this app and other Windows Phone exclusive apps available on other platforms Microsoft is killing Windows Phone:

"Stealth update for XBL on iOS adds all the Companion functionality we had sectional. Let's just go alee and release Role and remove any other reasons for people to come up to Windows Phone. Purse of tools...is anyone running Microsoft?"

These are stiff words indeed and tough for Windows Phone users to hear.

We would sit with our friends on a Saturday night and bear witness off apps similar this one to our iPhone toting companions. "Look what I tin can do with my Windows Phone" is what we would say. This app and others like it are how we could evidence our Windows Phone's superiority. If these apps lose their exclusivity, is this making Windows Phone less relevant?

Countering this claim is mhans311 who notes that Xbox is the focus here not just Windows Telephone:

"Well Microsoft is likewise trying to promote XBOX and this is a dandy manner to entice a big number of people to use XBOX even more. Besides, it'due south non a feature that is going to brand most people driblet iOS for wp anyway.

Oh and they already released a one note application for Android that works pretty well. That combined with quickoffice is more than I need equally far as Office apps go. 1 annotation was the just thing missing before."

People on other platforms don't actually need Windows Phone to have a good experience with Microsoft products. Why is Microsoft doing this? Shouldn't they continue these Microsoft creations sectional or at least brand the experience better on Windows Phone?

Forum member Figure eight Dash has a fiddling different stance.

"The companion app is fairly useless and will become replaced by SmartGlass this fall."

We don't take all the answers here but we do know that some of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 and Windows viii upgrades like SmartGlass will make some apps obsolete. If the apps Microsoft is releasing now won't exist used or necessary when nosotros update at the cease of this year does that change your thinking?

Is Microsoft their own worst enemy releasing these apps and making Windows Phone seven less relevant? What practise you think? Let united states of america know in the comments and then join us in the forum for the customs opinion.

The AT&T version of Surface Duo is now getting Android 11

It's here

The AT&T version of Surface Duo is at present getting Android 11

After a very long wait, the original Surface Duo is now eligible to receive its over-the-air OS update to Android xi. Here is what is new and fixed with the biggest update yet for Microsoft's get-go dual-screen Android device.