Microsoft isn't a stranger to the iTunes App Store — that dates back all the way to 2008 with Seadragon — but today's Kinectimals is arguably something different entirely. It's a game. As in, Microsoft just released a game for a competing mobile platform (it's already available on Windows Phone devices). The $2.99 title portal to the island of Lemuria is a stand-alone mobile pet simulator that also allows you to unlock five new cubs for the original Xbox 360 version — again, just like the Windows Phone version that only launched less than six weeks ago.

Already this week, the company released the Halo: Reach companion Halo Waypoint and My Xbox Live for Apple's iOS devices — apps that were once seen as competitive advantages for Windows Phone (now under new management). Is it too much to ask for the very useful Xbox Companion to be next? Maybe not.