Microsoft’s Surface will probably be the crowd favorite for the casual market. There is a lot to like about HP’s business tablet— but there is one area where it doesn’t sign so bright: Snap. The idea of running apps in split-screen for improved productivity is nothing new. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phablet also has a multi-screen ability. Even though it’s nothing new, this was one of the features MS is billing that I personally am excited about. Essentially, you can check your email while watching a video or keep track of a chat session while playing a casual game. There are business implications here as well, but ElitePad 900 won’t be getting in on the action. Why no love for snap in HP’s new tablet? The problem lies in the resolution. HP went with 1280×800, which is enough to run Windows 8 applications without a problem, but not enough to support snap. The new feature requires at least 1366×768 to work. You might be wondering why HP didn’t spring for the slightly higher resolution in order to add the feature. HP’s reasoning makes sense though. They felt that a ratio of 16:10 works better for desktop business programs than the 16:9 ratio. It was a choice between making the desktop elements look as great as possible or making the new modern UI support Snap. I think Snap has some advantages in the business world (where the tablet will be exclusively sold)- but, desktop will still be key to the experience. HP probably hopes this will appeal to businesses with custom Windows software that they want to use even in the most mobile situations. Having the best possible desktop experience is key to this. HP made the right decision. Snap is an important feature, but the business side of desktop comes first. If you were/are in a business environment that planned on considering Windows 8 tablets for productivity, would Snap be part of the consideration or do you think the feature is more useful an necessary for casual users? [ source ]]]>
I think that the snap feature is too limiting itself, and would need improvement.