Microsoft and Google are ostensibly competitors, but Redmond seems to be setting aside its mobile aspirations in the name of supporting its new game console... and considering all the money in gaming, it's easy to understand why. So in addition to both Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the official SmartGlass app, there's now a separate beta build of the Xbox One app.

The beta version was introduced to help test a series of incoming features, which are outlined in this post on Microsoft's official Xbox portal. The biggest addition over the standard Xbox One SmartGlass app is OneGuide, which translates the TV scheduling and selection functions of the Xbox One's TV dashboard to the mobile screen. Users should be able to see the full TV schedule and make programming selections, assuming they have the Xbox One set up with their cable or satellite TV system. A universal remote function has also been added, but again, compatibility may vary depending on your setup.

Microsoft makes it pretty clear that the beta app has no guarantees attached to it, and a few initial issues are actually laid out in the app description, including poor OneGuide syncing and remote errors. Still, considering the breadth of features that are being added, the beta app approach seems like a smart idea. The Xbox One SmartGlass Beta app is a free download.

[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.xboxone.smartglass.beta[/EMBED_APP]