Last year I asked you, my readers, to take a look at the Whirlpool survey for Australian Broadband. Well, I’m asking you the same thing this time around - because they’ve just released their lastest survey for Australian’s to fill out.

The survey asks a range of questions, mostly about your opinions on certain products and services in relation to Broadband ISPs and Hardware. These surveys are tallied up, then released to the media so that we can see exactly how the state of Australian broadband is.

The Australian Broadband Survey 2007 is here, and we are once again asking consumers to have their say about the state of broadband in Australia.
Last year, we managed over 20,000 responses, and we hope to match that level this year. As always, the survey is not about advertisers or company research — we just want to share your opinion on important issues like download limits, pricing, customer service and reliability of service.
We have taken into account your previous feedback by tweaking many of the questions. Similar to last year, we expect the results to be available within 30 days of the survey closing.

To take the survey, head over to www.whirlpool.net.au/survey today!

As the 1 year anniversary comes about with Vista being on our shelves, Microsoft releases a new strategy to get even more buyers of their new product.

It’s called the "Buy One Get One Free" offer, which allows those who registered for the beta release of Vista to receive a free copy of Windows Vista when they purchase a copy and register it online. For those interested, here is the full email that was received by those registered:

Happy Birthday Windows Vista!
As we approach the one year anniversary of launching Windows Vista® we want to remember you as one of the many people who downloaded and tested one of the Windows Vista Beta or Release Candidates through TechNet or MSDN®.YOU were a significant contributor to the development of Windows Vista. Your participation was extremely valuable to Microsoft, and we would like to say, “Thank You!”
To show our appreciation, we have several special offers exclusively available to you.
Offer 1: The ULTIMATE OFFER
Just go to your favorite retail or online store and purchase a standalone, full package Windows Vista Ultimate product, full or upgrade version, and we will match that with a second, complimentary Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade product key. We will honor a copy you purchased, and first activated, after December 1, 2007. Hurry! This offer expires on January 15, 2008.
To take advantage of this great offer, simply follow these steps:

1. Go to http://www.windowsvistaevalcomp.com.
2. Sign in using the same Windows Live ID that you used to download the beta or release candidate versions of Windows Vista.
3. Follow the instructions to locate the Product ID on the computer running the qualifying copy Windows Vista Ultimate that you recently purchased.
4. Enter that Product ID into the online form.
5. We will then provide you with a Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade key, so you can install Windows Vista Ultimate onto a second machine. (The second machine must have Windows XP or a version of Windows Vista already installed in order to upgrade)

Please note that this key is NOT for resale, although you may give it as a gift to a friend or colleague. Limit one complimentary key per person. Windows Vista Ultimate Academic and Student versions are not included in this promotion.
Offer 2: We also have one hundred $250 gift certificates to give away!
To thank you for helping make Windows Vista the most reliable Windows® yet, taking a short online survey and you be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift certificate (US store, shipping worldwide) to spend however you wish.
Take the short survey here: http://www.windowsvistaevalcomp.comand we will include your name for a chance to win. The survey is anonymous but we need your name for the prize. Of course, we respect your privacy. All entries must be completed by January 15, 2008
Offer 3: Would you like a truly unique computer personally signed by Bill Gates?
We’d like to give you the opportunity to own a truly unique computer. This computer is the ASUS W5fe. It is very powerful, small, light weight and incorporates the Windows SideShow™ technology. Each one is personally signed by Bill Gates. We have ten available, but you can only enter to win if you participated in the Windows Vista Beta or Release Candidates through TechNet or MSDN.
Simply come to http://www.windowsvistaevalcomp.com, tell us how you put Windows Vista to work along with your top tips and best practices to get going with Windows Vista today. We’ll select the top ten entries to be published. (Only one story per participant, please.)
All entries must be completed by January 15, 2008
And in closing, there is so much written about Windows Vista, how do you sort through and find the right information at the right time, and with the right technical depth? Visit Microsoft’s newest TechNet resource: Windows Vista Springboard—the onramp for IT Pros.
Thank again for participating in the Windows Vista Beta Program!
Thank you!
Celine Allee
Director, Windows Client
P.S. We would also like to remind you about TechNet Plus. Whenever you subscribe to TechNet Plus, you get full-version software licensed for evaluation purposes. This includes a variety of Microsoft commercial software including:

• Microsoft Operating Systems (Windows Vista®, Windows Server® 2003, Windows Small Business Server).
• Servers (e.g. Microsoft Exchange Server2007, SQL Server® 2005, BizTalk® Server, Commerce Server, Live Communication Server).
• Microsoft Office System (2007 Microsoft Office Release, InfoPath®, OneNote®, Visio®, Project).

For Complete benefits of a TechNet subscription please check this site
* All of these offers are available only to named recipients of this offer who participated in the Windows Vista Beta or Release Candidates through TechNet or MSDN. These offers are non-transferable and are limited to one each per person. See offer websites for specific rules.

Unfortunately the offer only applies to those that received this email, however for people like myself who registered with a now inactive or hacked e-mail address, you might as well sit back and listen to the Mission Impossible theme song mp3 because it doesn’t seem likely they will allow you access to this promotion - or so I’ve heard.

The Apple iPhone is an amazing piece of technology that has continued to put itself out in the new, in particular in regards to the owner and creator Apple Inc. So far we’ve had 2 firmware releases, however it seems the next release will add some spark to you phone with new releases - and we have some leaked photos to show you!

GearLive.com, a technology based news website, posted an article a few days ago stating some very exciting new features, specifically mentioning the following:

• The ability to send an SMS message to multiple people is now there
• Google Maps application can now pinpoint your location using cell tower triangulation
• Google Maps can now display the Hybrid map view
• You can now drag and drop application icons on your home screen
• The home screen supports pagination
• You can now add web bookmarks to your home screen

However, they didn’t only write about it, they took some amazing photos of an iPhone with the 1.1.3 firmware installed. Here are just a few:

And, as with the 1.1.2 release, if you have an unlocked iPhone you’ll find yourself with a new paperweight - as according to GearLive.com "you can expect the 1.1.3 update to brick it".

Something that still comes to mind here is the unfortunate fact that whilst all of these new features keep popping up, Apple are yet to give Australian’s and similar countries the privilege of having the iPhone legally, like places such as San Diego, California

The above photos and information were sourced from GearLive.com