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AT&T and Microsoft jointly announced an agreement that will soon put the ‘Microsoft Surface’ into AT&T retail stores for customer use. A pilot program beginning in mid April will see the 30-inch surface computer debut in five AT&T locations: Atlanta, San Antonio, the San Francisco Bay Area, and two stores in New York.

Surface, which is a common effort of Microsoft Research and Microsoft Hardware, features the ability to recognize physical objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes. The Surface does not use a touch-sensitive screen. Instead, it relies on multiple cameras beneath the table that can see when someone touches it. It recognizes objects based on shape or by using domino-style identification labels on the bottom of the objects.

Microsoft revealed Surface last May, and said the Windows Vista-based machines would first appear in T-Mobile USA stores and properties owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Those partners planned to have Surface running by November, but later delayed the launch by several months.

Among the AT&T-specific features being introduced are the ability to learn about a mobile device by placing it on the Surface's display and a view of scalable coverage maps. AT&T plans to increase the device's in-store features in the future, giving users the ability to drag and drop content like ringtones, graphics, videos, and more.

"We are thrilled to bring this groundbreaking new technology to our stores so we can introduce customers to their mobile worlds in a very personal and easy way," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility of the announcement. "We look forward to working with Microsoft to continue developing new ways for our customers to learn about the ever-growing lineup of mobile devices and applications."

One of the perks of putting Surface into stores fastest, Austin said, was some influence over design. AT&T's units have a brushed-metal base rather than the black shiny finish early models had. Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which also uses touch technology, will not be one of the phones that work with Surface. Austin would not comment on whether AT&T approached Apple about the prospect.