AT&T Adopts Microsoft Surface for Retail

By Nick Mokey April 1, 2008

AT&T Adopts Microsoft Surface for Retail

Microsoft’s Surface computer may attract endless crowds of gawking onlookers at trade shows and press events, but many have questioned how practical it would be in real-life scenarios. AT&T will be the first company to find out this month when it introduces the Microsoft Surface computer into a handful of its retail stores, making it the new technology’s earliest adopter.

For the unacquainted, the Surface computer’s main attraction is a 30-inch touch-enabled display that sits horizontally like a table. Like the iPhone, it uses multitouch capabilities to allow users to interact with it with both hands. It can also detect objects sitting on it, and in the case of Bluetooth-enabled electronics, interact with them wirelessly.

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Besides its implicit ability to draw crowds, AT&T plans to use the Surface computer as a sort of kiosk for AT&T customers. Those shopping for new phones, for instance, can place two of them on the display and review features side by side. Customers can also view coverage maps and explore them with the intuitive touch-and-grab navigation, or customize phones by dragging ringtones, graphics, video and more from the display onto the phone.

The first Surface computers will debut in major cities, including New York City, Atlanta, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Depending on their success at these locations, AT&T may bring them to other stores in its network of 2,200 as well.

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