Though 2012 is nearing its end, it’s not too late for Microsoft to have an epic year.  This Friday, the software giant will officially launch Windows 8, the Surface tablet and Windows 8 Phone.  But that’s not all Microsoft has in store.

Microsoft has also revealed a few major updates for Xbox entertainment.  First off, the very term Xbox no longer refers to their gaming console, now standing for a unified entertainment experience.  The first announcement is about the new Xbox update for all Xbox 360 owners to bring a whole new entertainment experience to TVs.

The update will prepare the console for when Microsoft flips the switch and integrates Internet Explorer for enhanced search, the launch of a new music service – Xbox Music, and an easier way to find entertainment with Kinect and Bing voice search –  Xbox Video, Xbox Games and the Xbox SmartGlass, after Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 has been officially announced.  This is the first part of transforming the Xbox 360 to an all-in-one entertainment system.

The second announcement is about bringing Xbox to user’s phone, tablet and PC to deliver great games, music, TV and movie experiences.  And this is where Xbox SmartGlass fits.  The Xbox SmartGlassis going to introduce amazing multi-screen entertainment experiences.

“[W]e live in a multi-device world,” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer for Interactive Entertainment Division said in a blog post.  “The millions of people enjoying entertainment on their Xbox are doing so within arm’s reach of another device. We believe your entertainment should travel seamlessly across devices, that devices should work together to make your entertainment more accessible and create entirely new experiences. We knew we needed a single name for all entertainment experiences from our company and nothing means entertainment at Microsoft more than Xbox.”

Here’s a quick tutorial on how Xbox SmartGlass works seamlessly from one device to another, Xbox SmartGlass Walkthrough.

SiliconANGLE’s founding editor, Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins, offered his insight regarding the Microsoft update stating that “it’s a way of taking experience in the living room and extending it to the tablet,” and it’s not necessarily limited to a strictly Microsoft tablet environment, although it would probably work better than some tablets that exists in other ecosystems.  Rizzn offered further commentary on this morning’s News Desk Segment.  See below for the full clip: