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Hands-On: Microsoft Surface at the AT&T Store

by Thomas Houston on April 17, 2008 at 06:52 PM



AT&T and Microsoft debuted the much-talked-about Microsoft Surface today in five AT&T stores nationwide. We dropped by the New York premiere to check out the 30-inch touch-based tabletop computer.

This version of the Surface doesn't offer the breadth of features shown a year ago -- it only shows information on plans, AT&T's network, and a select group of phones. Still, we're thrilled to finally see a Surface in the wild. The device excels at letting users see and explore AT&T's network coverage on the responsive interactive map. Similar to the iPhone's map interface, the Surface's map lets you easily swipe and slide your way around the U.S., and you can select a 3G overlay to see where AT&T offers greater network speeds.

The Surface only works with eight phones -- more are coming soon -- but we liked the comparison feature. Place two phones on the Surface and windows will "slide" out of each phone with information comparing battery life, media features, size, and more. These windows, as well as most others that we came across while testing the Surface, can be easily resized, dragged, and launched across the workspace with a simple flip of the wrist.

AT&T's use of the Surface may draw customers in and improve the in-store shopping experience, but we're still waiting to see what the Surface can really do when pushed to its limits (e.g. file transfer between digital devices, music downloads, restaurant information). For now, check out our gallery of photos from the premiere below:

AT&T and Microsoft Surface


Tags: att, Breaking News, BreakingNews, hands-on, microsoft, surface

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