Remember that time Microsoft said we could use the XBox Smartglass app as a keyboard for our Xbox 360?

So, after getting my entertainment system set up in my new apartment and hooking up my various gaming consoles, I decided to try out the new Xbox Smartglass app that I had heard so much about. I figure, I've got an Android smartphone (HTC One X), a Nexus 10 tablet, and both a laptop and desktop both running Windows 8. Plus, I use my Xbox for media streaming all the time, so this should be a GREAT thing.

And, really, it is. Using my phone as a surrogate controller actually works really well, and there was a specific instance when I was watching TV with my family over Thanksgiving and my Dad wanted to show me an episode of Duck Dynasty, which I was able to find on my phone and then bring up on the Xbox with zero menu navigation.


So the Bing search that searches through half a dozen video streaming apps for the shows and movies I want to watch works really well, and I love being able to use my phone's keyboard as text input. But there are two three serious shortcomings in the Xbox Smartglass experience that it seems all of the reviewers completely glossed over.

The first is that, while the Bing search is extremely useful, it has one glaring omission: a complete lack of Amazon Instant Video results. It will show offerings from Xbox Video, Hulu Plus, CinemaNow, Vudu, etc... but it doesn't show anything from Amazon Instant. This is particularly frustrating for me, because I use Amazon Instant more than all the other video apps combined. This, plus the fact that the new Wii U also has universal search and it doesn't seem to have a problem searching Amazon's offerings, so why can't the Xbox?

The second shortcoming is that, while you're able to use your phone, tablet, or computer's keyboard to enter text into the Bing search field, or internet explorer, or any of a dozen different login screens, it seems that the keyboard input doesn't work with the search fields of any of the video apps I use (YouTube, netflix, amazon instant, and hulu, to name a few). After googling around on this issue for a while, thinking I was just doing it wrong, I found that the issue is actually with the apps themselves not accepting keyboard input. So I guess it's not technically Microsoft's fault, but I would think that they would have encouraged developers to make the updates to their app, so Smartglass wouldn't be all but useless.

This last gripe I actually discovered while I was writing this article, and that's that the Xbox Smartglass app isn't compatible with my newly purchased Nexus 10 tablet. They apparently made an app that works with Windows phones, Android phones, iPhones, iPads, and Windows tablets...but completely skipped Android tablets? This highlights an issue with Android apps for tablets, but that's a rant for another time.

For now, though, I'm left waiting for the app that I want Smartglass to be, rather than the app it is. It's genuinely useful in certain cases, and has a ton of potential, but as it currently stands, when I power up my Xbox, I find myself reaching for a controller, rather than my phone.

Relevant Links:
Official Smartglass Website
Xbox Smartglass in the Play Store