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Microsoft's Surface hits Sin City

Harrah's showed off the device last week at a Caesars Palace nightclub. The casino owner plans to have a unit up and running at the Rio later this year.

Ina Fried Former Staff writer, CNET News
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley.
Ina Fried

Microsoft's Surface has yet to become a permanent act on the Vegas Strip, but the tabletop computer did play a one-night gig at Caesars Palace last week.

Playing poker on Surface

The it-list gadget was shown off at Caesars Pure nightclub at the drawing party for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Among the celebrity hands that got to touch the Surface were those belonging to Jason Alexander, Don Cheadle, and Shannon Elizabeth, along with the fingers of some pro poker players, including Howard Lederer.

But it will still take more than a good card on the river to get your hands on the thing. The first units should make their debut in the coming months at early customers like Starwood hotels and Harrah's, which plans to put a unit inside the Rio.

For those who aren't counting cards, that's later than Microsoft had originally planned. However, Microsoft is accelerating plans to try to get the technology behind Surface into the home.