Microsoft unveils app to connect Xbox to Apple and Google devices

Microsoft Corp took another step toward its goal of turning the Xbox into the nexus of household entertainment, unveiling software to let users view extra content, control games and surf the internet from their tablets and smartphones.

The software maker, whose market-leading Xbox already streams Netflix and ESPN and other channels, unveiled a “SmartGlass” application yesterday that links the console to mobile devices powered by Windows or Apple Inc’s iOS and Google Inc’s Android.

The US software corporation has been trying for years to make a living-room entertainment hub of its Xbox, which has sold 67 million units since it launched in 2005. Now, the company is trying to expand the Xbox’s entertainment menu and hook it up to “companion” mobile devices as a way to boost sales of its seven-year old console.