Phones, tablets and game consoles typically offer single-screen experiences, that is, one app on screen at a time. Microsoft is challenging that idea, announcing what it calls "Snap Mode" at its next-generation Xbox event, taking a stab at home console multitasking. It's essentially a port of a well-known Windows 8 feature: separate apps can be pinned to the edge of the television's screen in isolated panels, allowing gamers to use Xbox apps while playing a game, or watch TV while simultaneously using Internet Explorer . Combined with the lightning-fast app switching Microsoft showed off on stage, it's definitely a big step forward for couchside computing.