[iOS App] Xbox LIVE App Launched for iPhone

Microsoft has launched a new Xbox app for the iPhone, called My Xbox LIVE. The app has been approved to the App Store, despite it being a not so subtle attempt by Microsoft to do some marketing for Windows Phone.

You can download the XBox LIVE App directly on your device through the Apple App Store or by using the link which follows:

Download
Price	Free
Requirements	iOS 4.3 or greater

Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating system was launched at the end of 2010 but has so far not managed to get much more than a 5% market share. This is not because Windows Phone is not any good, many would argue it is far superior to its competition, but it is rather because of lack of exposure, and that most smartphone owners have already settled into either the Android or iPhone camps.

One of the greatest highlights of Windows Phone is its Xbox LIVE support. All Windows Phones comes with Xbox LIVE, and additional Xbox LIVE apps can be downloaded from Windows Marketplace allowing you to use the Xbox store and play games, video, and music from your console.

But the amount of people owning an Xbox console far exceeds the number of people owning a Windows Phone. Microsoft is hoping that when people see the way that they can use a Windows Phone to interact with their console, many people will make the switch when their iPhone contract expires.

My Xbox LIVE released for the iPhone does not have the same full functionality as the Xbox features on Windows Phone, so Microsoft is not sacrificing one of its unique selling points. The app allows Xbox owners to edit their profile, add friends and compare achievements.

The app is also designed to resemble the Windows Phone interface, giving iPhone owners a glimpse of what the operating system is like. This comes following an online simulation for Windows Phone that Microsoft made available for iPhone and Android users. If one of the biggest problems facing Windows Phone is its lack of exposure, this simulation and the new My Xbox LIVE app for the iPhone can be a great way for Microsoft to make people more aware of this phone OS.

This new app coincides with the launch of Nokia's Lumia 800, which is the first Windows Phone to be launched by the Finnish telecoms giant. It is hoped by Microsoft that the popularity and brand loyalty of the mobile giant will be able to work wonders for Windows Phone in a way that Samsung and HTC have been unable to.