Microsoft Surface

I shot over to an AT&T store in Manhattan this morning to get a multi-finger hands-on with the Microsoft Surface. At CTIA we learned that AT&T would be deploying the Microsoft Surface in a select number of stores for a trial period.

The store I visited had three or four of these tables spread throughout the customer display area, and each one had about eight phones tethered to it. When I walked up to the Microsoft Surface it came up just below my waist; it’s perfect for leaning over to play with, and about a foot and a half taller than a coffee table. The display itself was large and bright and had a textured finish to it. It’s hard to explain. Think somewhere between glass and sandpaper.

You can use two fingers—although the screen can detect many objects touching it—to pull and push the map to zoom in and out. If you’ve used an iPhone you’ll be a pro the first time you touch the Surface. We zoomed around the map, which displays the signal coverage in your particular area, and compared two phones. Click through for a hands-on video and more details.

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At the AT&T media luncheon, we saw a live demo of Microsoft’s Surface, a product that AT&T announced it would use in its retail stores to assist customers in purchasing handsets and plans.

During the demo, an AT&T employee showed us how customers will be able to zoom in on a map of the United States to check coverage in their area by seeing colored overlays displaying whether certain areas have GSM, EDGE, or 3G access across the United States.

Would-be customers can also drop a handset on Surface to get more information about it; information flows out into diagrams that list specific phone features and services supported by the phone. Users can listen to ringtones or choose data and voice plans.

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