Some AT&T stores in the US were slated to showcase the iconic "Microsoft Surface" technology beginning April 17th. And yes, they did.

AT&T's San Bruno store became the first to have touch-screen "Surface" kiosks helping customers find information on the company's latest phones and wireless offerings. Using these kiosks, customers were able to check out the features of phones, compare them with those in other phones, review service plans, and zoom-in or out on interactive coverage maps.

The AT&T kiosks are a milestone in that they are based on- and represent- the first commercial roll-out of Microsoft's "Surface" technology. "Surface" promises to transform any ordinary surface into a vibrant interactive surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content, and through natural gestures, touch, and physical objects. AT&T's "Surface" kiosks are able to recognize devices by scanning a kind of unique bar code that is affixed to the back of them.

As of now, these kiosks are geared only to offer information about AT&T offerings though eventually, the company plans to enable customers conduct real transactions through them. The company also plans to install "Surface" kiosks in three other Bay Area stores next month. Eventually, it plans to roll-out kiosks to each of its 2,200 retail stores panning across the US.

"Microsoft Surface" sports an intuitive user interface (UI) that works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own, or collaboratively with their friends and families, just like in the real world. It has a 30-inches display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. "Microsoft Surface" can recognize physical objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes.