Microsoft touches the Surface of AT&T

Microsoft has announced it has its first customer ready to put Surface computers into public use.

Perhaps most interestingly, the first one out of the gate is not one of the company's earliest partners. Instead, it is US mobile carrier AT&T that is ready to make use of the touchscreen computers.

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AT&T will use several counter-height units inside its retail stores. The company is beginning with five stores across the US on 17 April: two in New York, one in San Francisco, one in San Antonio and one in Atlanta. Each store will have a few of the Surface machines where customers can compare the features of different phones, as well as look at service plans and coverage maps. Currently AT&T uses laptops in the store to offer such features.

Pete Thompson, the general manager of Microsoft's surface computing unit, said: "We're in business now."

Microsoft had talked about such a retail use for Surface but in its demonstrations had featured AT&T rival T-Mobile. Thompson said T-Mobile remains a partner but he had no update as to when that carrier will be ready to use Surface in its stores.

And, although Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said he wants the consumer version of Surface speeded up, Thompson said he also wants to make sure the company doesn't disappoint its earliest customers, who are all large businesses.

Microsoft has said it is aiming to have the consumer version on shelves by 2011, as much as two years earlier than its initial plan.

Thompson said: "We are trying to do the right thing and accelerate where we can," but added, "I am very much focused on making this initial commercial plan a success without getting distracted."

As for those early buyers, Thompson said Microsoft does have other unannounced customers for the Surface, though he declined to name names. He did say we would start to see activity through partners in some additional areas, such as government, health care and education.

Original article: Microsoft's Surface moves beyond demoware from CNET News.com