In the "Sandbox" room at MIX, they have a couple of Surface machines set up for hands on demos. Since these were first introduced last summer, I think virtually everyone has seen the videos of the demo.

Well, here's another one, but this time we actually got to try it out -- and it really is a remarkable device. In this video (taken by Nicole), we're walking through the app that is being rolled out by T-Mobile. What was really interesting to me about it was how quickly it responds to both touch inputs, as well as recognizing devices placed directly on the display via RFID, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or visually through the cameras in the unit's base. The demos I've seen of it online have always appeared a bit scripted and well orchestrated. Having now used it directly, it does appear to be ready for release (T-Mobile was supposed to roll it out in Nov. but have pushed it to April).