Hope everyone had a great beak over the holidays. For those who didn't know the Consumer Electronics Show is happening at the moment over in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was speaking at the Keynote and he showed a video of his last day at Microsoft. Guest stars include George Clooney, Steven Speilberg, Jay-Z, Bono, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Al Gore to name a few. Plus our own Nic Fillingham (well kind of he's an aussie living in Singapore now) interviewed Bill Gates about the state of consumer electronics at CES. Nice brown jacket Nic... Have a look at what Microsoft is doing at CES plus watch the Keynote.
We have the Heroes Happen 2008 roadshow touring around the country soon. The roadshow will have technical training on Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008. In addition to this we will also have a dedicated track for Security Professionals. The sessions for the Security track are:
Also available for download is the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide. How Does the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide Help Secure Your Business? Based on extensive, real-world experience from customers, government agencies, and Microsoft security experts, the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide describes how to structure your environment correctly and prescribes security settings that are appropriate for most enterprise environments. The guide also prescribes more restrictive settings that are appropriate for more "locked down" environments, where concern for security is so great that a significant loss of functionality is acceptable.
Both security setting configurations have been thoroughly tested in Microsoft labs, and validated by customers and partners under real-world conditions. You also can easily tailor the configuration you choose by modifying any of the security settings to accommodate the unique needs of your organization.
Deploy Your Security Baseline Quickly and Reliably The powerful GPOAccelerator tool is included with the guidance to enable you to automatically deploy a tested configuration of Group Policy security settings across your organization — in minutes, instead of hours or days.
The tool creates all of the Group Policy objects (GPOs) you need to deploy the security configuration you choose. The tool also eliminates many manual steps in the deployment process to give you faster and more reliable results.
With more than 200 security and privacy setting options, you can fine-tune your deployment of Windows Server 2008, balancing your organization’s needs for security and functionality.
Harden Your Server Workloads This security guide also includes detailed guidance on how to harden Windows Server 2008 to handle different server "workloads" in your organization, including servers that perform as domain controllers, and others that provide DNS, DHCP, Web, File, and Print services. The tested guidance describes how to harden key services like Active Directory® Certificate Services (AD CS), Network Access Services, and Terminal Services.
Security Setting Recommendations The security guide includes a comprehensive technical reference that explains what each prescribed security setting in the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide does, provides recommended configurations, and identifies the threats that each setting mitigates. A Security Settings Workbook included with the guide also lists all of the prescribed settings for each of the preconfigured security baselines that the guide prescribes.
COOL UPDATE: Just found this out, you can actually play your Live Mesh Music Collection for your Live Desktop within the browser! Its using Silverlight to stream the music. As I popped out for my Lunch Break this I decided to buy the latest Weezer Album from my local JB Hi-Fi store. I have a work and home PC and normally I would have to Rip the album two different times into two different libraries which I find annoying. I have a Music Folder on my Live Mesh on my work and home PC's which I have added to my music library in Windows Media Player. I changed my Ripping location to my Mesh Music Folder on my Work PC. After I Rip the album I can see the little Live Mesh Icon in the tray flashing indicating its uploading the album to my Live Mesh.
When I get home and load up Media Center, Weezer is ready for me to go. Very nice. You're not going to load up your whole music collection because the Community Technology Preview has a 5GB limit but its great to have a couple of gigs of music on your Live Mesh so you can access it from anywhere.
New revamped design The first thing you will notice with the i617T is the glossy black body of the phone and the silver accent on the side, it looks good! It has a QWERTY keyboard which has various quick launch keys for camera, mail and browser. The D-Pad also acts as a spinning jog wheel which is helpful for scrolling through web pages, documents and email. It has all the standard features you expect with a Windows Mobile phone such as Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, 2.4” QVGA Screen, HSDPA Support, 2.0 MP Camera and supports Quad Band. QWERTY Keyboard makes life easier The phone features the new Windows Mobile 6.1 interface which is really fluid. Check out the video below to see the home screen in action. The cool thing you will notice is the ability to access your media from within the home screen. Yes that image on the phone is a Microsoft Surface which is next to my desk, more on that later The i617T also has a slot for a micro SD card which is great to store your media files on, it supports cards up to 4GB. It has a Samsung proprietary connector so you will need to use the supplied Headphone adaptor to listen to your media. The phone supports Exchange server connectivity through Microsoft Direct Push Technology. The low cost of the phone serves as a great first smartphone and also a fleet device for your organisation. It packs all the punch with Windows Mobile 6.1 and its great design. micro SD card slot is perfect for your media storage
Telstra is offering the Samsung i617T for $0 on a $30 Consumer or Business 24-month Phone Plan.
EXCOM Education is doing a promotion by providing a Microsoft Certification Exam at no cost to you. So if you were thinking about getting certified this is a great offer not to be missed.What do you need to do?1. Book and attend any 3-5 day Microsoft course. 2. Sit the corresponding certification exam by the 30th June 2007. 3. EXCOM will provide you with the Microsoft certification exam at no extra cost to you.
Click here to view available courses.
Its always nice to receive a new phone especially when its the new Samsung Omnia. The first thing you notice is the size of the device, its a nice form factor which fits nicely in the palm of your hand or in your pocket. The Omnia has a nice black and slate silver casing which is sure to draw a crowd. It comes with a hands free adapter, Data Cable, Charger and Stylus. There is no slot for the stylus so you will have to hang it on the side (I don't use the stylus). The welcoming Home Screen The Omnia is running Windows Mobile 6.1 and there are some nice Samsung themes included with the phone. It has an internal storage capacity of 8GB and its expandable to 24GB with a 16GB MicroSD card. The display is 3.2 inches and has a resolution of 240x400. The device has a built in accelerometer which makes it easy to rotate the screen when your viewing media or browsing the web. I actually used the GPS functionality the other day in the city when I needed to find a particular street. It didn't take long to pick up the GPS satellite signals. Gotta love Flight of the Conchords A welcome feature is the DivX/XviD support along with MPEG4 h.264. I used Windows Media Player to transfer my media across to the Omnia. Windows Media Player will detect the Omnia and all you have to do is drag and drop the media into the Device. Enjoying the 5MP Camera on the ferry, it was a scorcher of a day
I have been amazed at the 5MP camera on the Omnia. I have always been a bit of a sceptic when it comes to camera phones but the Omnia takes some pretty good shots. The responsiveness of the Camera is pretty good as it focuses and saves the shot in around 2 seconds. You can also activate the GPS to have that information included in the image. The max video capture resolution is 640x480 at 15fps. I’m also on the Live Mesh for Mobile Beta which syncs files across various devices. I can’t emphasise how cool it is to take a picture then head home or to work and have that image already sitting in my Pictures folder! I took this pic on the Omnia and did some editing on the PC The Oprah browser is pretty much the same one I was using on my HTC Touch Diamond. Viewing web pages on the device is fluid and supports tabbed browsing. It supports GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA speeds up to 7.2Mbit/s. I use the Wi-Fi connectivity at work (had to install a certificate) and at home which saves me using the Data Connection. My favourite Website www.cricinfo.com
All in all I'm really happy with the Omnia. It serves as a good all in one device for phone, camera, media and Internet Connectivity. If you are in the market for a new device I would definitely recommend checking it out.
For those attending the Heroes Happen 2008 Events there will be a special offer in place for TechNet Plus Subscriptions. We will be offering a 40% discount on TechNet Plus Direct and TechNet Plus Single User. We will be providing a promotional code in the sessions which you can use when registering for your subscription. If your not going and you have a mate going, let them know to look out for the code! Its a good time to get a Subscription because Windows Vista SP1 will be made available soon for subscribers.
The Office Live Workspace Beta is now available in Australia. This is great news for those wanting to extend their Office experience online. Its great for storing Office documents online where you can access them and preview them from any computer (Office doesnt need to be installed). You can also share documents and work on documents together in real time using Microsoft SharedView. You can also save directly from your Office applications to your workspace. Sign up for the beta at http://workspace.officelive.com
Time to move off XP? Little reminder for the upcoming end of support date.
Jeffa
From Computerworld"The ICT battlefield has shifted from a war for talent to a war for resources; and you better be prepared. ICT recruitment firm Best International managing director John McVicker says the solution is three fold; create a workplace that encourages IT-skilled people to work for longer, make the IT industry more attractive to generation Y and skilled workers from other industries by offering greater flexibility, and capitalize on overseas talent."
If you have been following the Mobile World Congress 2009 you will have seen the the new Windows Mobile 6.5 devices. There is a totally revamped User Interface and a new rich web browsing experience. There are two new services called My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
The new “Honeycomb” Interface New Internet Explorer Mobile which supports Adobe Flash Lite My Phone (currently available in a limited invitation-only beta) will allow you to access, manage and back up your personal information on the device straight to the web. This is cool if you upgrade devices, you wont lose all your contacts, appointments and text messages! You will also be able to upload photos and videos to the My Phone service. Backing up all your contacts through My Phone Your snaps and vids can be uploaded to the My Phone service
Ill keep you updated with the availability of these devices in Australia. I cant wait to get my hands on one of these devices!
We will be having 2 Windows Vista SP1 TechNet Update Events in Sydney and Melbourne for IT Professionals. Details below. Session 1 - Windows Vista Service Pack 1 – Updates and Improvements! Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) along with work from Microsoft’s hardware and software partners, brings improvements that address many of the key pieces of customer feedback, especially in the areas of compatibility, performance and reliability. SP1 also improves some management, deployment and support features, as well as power options for a greener PC. This session will cover what’s new, what has changed and the benefits that Windows Vista brings to your organization.
Session 2 - How Windows Vista makes desktop deployment easier! Deploying desktop operating system can be challenging, time consuming and at times difficult! Find out how Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, together with Microsoft management technologies and the new Microsoft Deployment framework helps you address the desktop deployment challenges. This session will cover technologies such as the new Windows Automated Installation Kit, Application Compatibility Toolkit v5, Single Image deployments all leveraging the Microsoft System Centre management technologies. Melbourne Registration Tuesday 29th April 9am-11am (Registration from 8.30am) Microsoft Melbourne Office Entrance is around the corner from the PWC entrance. Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place PWC Building, Southbank Southbank Victoria 3006 Sydney Registration Thursday 1st May 9am-11am (Registration from 8.30am) Microsoft Head Office Directions: Dehli rd or Epping rd are the main streets for driving into the corporate park Go to the registration desk past the elevators on the ground floor. Parking available outside reception and also in the visitors carpark located at the rear of the building (Signs will direct you to the B1 carpark). 1 Epping Road North Ryde North Ryde New South Wales 2113 Catering will be provided.
We have created the following TechNet Blog Bling. Send us a link to your bling’ed up site with the Blog Bling you decided to use and we will send you a TechNet Polo Shirt (for Aussies only). Send it through to itproanz@microsoft.com
As you know (if you don’t you should!) TechEd 2010 Australia will be held on the Gold Coast 24-27 August. We need you to put your creative hats on (or whatever you put on when you need to get creative) and tell us your ideas for what you want to see at TechEd 2010. The idea could be to do with content, food, event logistics, the party, the TechEd bag, the Tech Showcase, speakers, anything to do with the conference! This TechEd is all about you so help shape it the way you want it to be. Who said Techies can’t be creative????? Join the discussion over at the forum thread
Daylight Savings time changes can have a significant impact on business performance if not dealt with proactively. Effects can range from the incorrect time display on the clock, to calendaring problems, to changes in business critical services that are time dependent. This year, Western Australians rejected by referendum a proposal to extend their trial of daylight savings. As a result there will be no daylight savings in WA this year or for the foreseeable future. The time change was scheduled for 25 October, but will no longer occur.
We encourage customers to review their preparedness for these changes. See the Australia 2009 Daylight Saving Planning Guide.
From the Windows 7 Australia Blog
Microsoft is making available limited stock of Family Pack in Australia – entitling consumers to three upgrade licenses for Windows 7 Home Premium for $249 (RRP)
Sydney, Australia, 30 November, 2009 - Microsoft is making Christmas shopping for the family easier this year with a limited pilot of Windows 7 Family Pack beginning 1 December 2009, only while stocks last. The Family Pack provides three licenses for Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade in 32-bit or 64-bit for a recommended retail price (RRP) of AUD$249*.
“We listened to the feedback from our customers and we are very pleased to announce that we are piloting Family Pack in Australia as part of our Christmas offers,” said Jeff Putt, Windows Consumer Lead, Microsoft Australia. “Windows 7 makes it easier for people to do the things they want on their PC, so we’re excited to make it even easier for our customers to upgrade their PC’s at home to Windows 7 by providing this fantastic offer.”
Windows 7 Home Premium provides a great entertainment experience on your PC. Customers will find easier ways to connect to other PCs and devices, all in a visually rich environment that makes everyday use simpler and more engaging.
Glenn O’Neil, Head of Buying and Marketing, Dick Smith Australian and New Zealand said, “Family Pack offers a new level of value and we’re delighted to be part of the limited pilot – we feel our customers will respond well to the offer. Because Family Pack lets you upgrade three home PCs to Windows 7 Home Premium, customers will be able to unlock the easier networking features of Windows 7 and move the family to the latest Microsoft technology, while also getting a great deal.”
With Windows 7 Home Premium you can create a HomeGroup to share all of your favourite photos, videos and music with other PCs running Windows 7. Through HomeGroup, PCs running Windows 7 can automatically identify and connect with each other. Once a HomeGroup is established, sharing devices and media throughout your home is easy. For example, the printer in your study is shared automatically with the other PCs in your home, and digital photos stored on a computer in your family room can be easily accessed from a laptop anywhere in your home.
In addition, Windows 7 Home Premium features advanced window navigation and personalisation with several new improvements to Microsoft Aero® desktop. Finally, customers will benefit from Remote Media Streaming and improved options for different media formats.
Microsoft is also announcing a limited offer for customers who may have already purchased three upgrade licenses to Windows 7 Home Premium prior to 30 November. Eligible customers will qualify for three complimentary Wireless Comfort Desktops, each featuring a wireless keyboard and mouse set. To see if they qualify**, customers should contact Microsoft Customer Service on 13 20 58.
Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack will only be available at the following participating Australian retailers, while stocks last: Betta Electrical, Bing Lee, David Jones, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, Myer, Officeworks, Retravision, The Good Guys, WOW Sight and Sound.
Jeff Putt, Windows Consumer Lead, Microsoft Australia
* Recommended Retail Price. Actual retail price is set by the retailer.
**Acceptable proof of purchase to qualify for the three complimentary Wireless Comfort Desktops will be a single receipt showing the purchase of three Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade licenses in a single transaction or up to three receipts showing the purchase of separate Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade licenses that were transacted on the same credit card. Receipts must be dated prior to November 30, 2009.
The TechEd 2009 freebies don’t stop at a free netbook with Windows 7 RTM, we are also giving away some funky Windows 7 Hoodies and T-Shirts this year at TechEd 2009. Our resident model Elaine was kind enough to show off the items for us! What do you need to do? Easy. You need to be attending TechEd and then promote the newly announced Windows 7 Enterprise 90-Day Trial for IT Professionals on Twitter during the conference (8th – 11th September) with the hashtag #auteched. We will be monitoring the Twitter feed and will pick the most creative tweets on the day. We’ll let you know on Twitter if you were picked, then remember to pick up your Hoodie or T-Shirt from the TechNet Pod in the Technology showcase area. Catch you next week on the Gold Coast!
Thanks for all of those who attended today, We had a great response to the session. We will post the recording of the session up some time next week so keep your eye out for that. I have put the questions and answers from the session below, If you had more questions please let us know. A big thank you to John Pritchard for answering the questions during the session.
Question: Do you require Windows 08 for the direct access function? can it be implemented with 2003 server?
Private Answer: Direct Access requires WS2008 R2
Question: Is DirectAccess a built-in feature or paid extra?
Private Answer: DA is part of the Windows 7 Enterprise SKU - basically the enterprise/corporate version
Question: with regards to business users, why doesn't MS make a professional / workstation version of server 2008 instead of doing a business version of windows 7. Keeping home and business OS separated so that they can be developed separately
Private Answer: the code base separation is a complex issue. WS2008 shares the same kernel as Vista. Win7 has a Vista Kernel. My take is that keeping the base the same ensures the security features are built into both home and corp environment
Question: does branchcache cache outlooks rpc-over-https traffic?
Private Answer: BC caches file downloads so a copied file is cached
Question: Does that caching affect the sharing security of the systems
Private Answer: Good question - need to check but I suspect you find that user access is preserved. Let me check with Jeff at the end of the session
Question: What if you plug in a BIT Locked USB key into a WinXP computer, do you get the same password request feature there? or is it only valid on WinVista >
Private Answer: It is supported for read access on XP and installs from the bitlocker appln on the USB mem stick to read the files
Question: what about brute force attacks
Private Answer: Same as per a bitlocker drive now. The key is stored under an encrypting key just like a hard disk. The data is protected the same and like any encryption the brute force will work eventually, just whether we are still alive when it succeeds is the debate :-)
Question: does that gpo can be configured on server site or has to be local?
Private Answer: local gpo for workgroups and domain gpos for domain joined PCs
Question: is bitlocker backwardly compatible
Private Answer: Yes to Bitlocker Vista and WS2008. More cross compatible than back compatible. Does that help?
Question: Can this be made to be "dumb proof" for users: ie: once finsihed recording, it automaticlly emails the administrator or specified address? instead of creating the zipfile to be saved and manually emailed?
Private Answer: Good point - this would be a good integration for Operations Manager and Desktop Error Monitoring. Not available in the current version.
Question: When Downgrading windows, i would like to clear up a issue i was having with another friend, When you downgrade, are you required to let microsoft know and they issue a new key to you to use, or can you just use any windows XP pro key and when activating just activate by phone - i have called microsoft about it previously, but none could give me a clear answer from a legal stand point --> am i breaching licensing using any Windows XP pro key on a machine that is licensed for Windows Vista Business?
Private Answer: no breech - XP downgrade is permitted
Question: Is bitlocker what will do full drive encryption for hdds? Eg laptops. And does this utilize a hardware TPM chip?
Private Answer: Bitlocker using the TPM v1.2 and encrypts HDD, External HDD with Vista SP1 and with Win7 USB memory
Question: Will the Microsoft deployment tools (MDT) add the ability to restrict the installation of drivers to specific models of hardware (to address the co-existence of conflicting PnP drivers)? Thanks
Private Answer: Already there now with the database feature for drivers by make and model
Question: With DirectAccess can I customise what the users have access to? i.e. Internet access via the corporate network or via direct internet access.
Private Answer: Yes - can be customised once DA is established
Here are some of the upcoming Windows 7 RC Loadfests around Australia. Ill update the list when we have more happening in and around your city. Bring your PC or MAC :)12th May Update: Added Wollongong and Perth13th May Update: Added Gold Coast20th May Update: Added REMIX0924th May Update: Added Adelaide AdelaideAdelaide UniversityVenue: Adelaide University, North Terrace Campus, Plaza 1064When: Thursday 28th MayTime: 12pm to 6pmWebsite: http://adelaidemsp.wordpress.com/RSVP: email raymond.rebbeck@student-partners.com.auBrisbane Brisbane Infrastructure Group Venue: Microsoft Brisbane, Level 9, 1 Eagle St, Waterfront Place When: Tuesday 12th May Time: Doors open just before 8.00am (its a morning session) Website: http://www.aususergroups.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.aususergroups.org/big RSVP: email bigau@live.com.au Gold CoastGriffith University Venue: Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, G23 1.21When: Thursday 28th May Time: 9am till LunchWebsite: http://seancostain.spaces.live.com/RSVP: email seancostain@student-partners.com.auSydney REMIX09Venue: Star City, PyrmontWhen: Thursday 11th June Windows 7 StandTime: All dayWebsite: http://www.microsoft.com/australia/remix/Sydney Windows User Group Venue: Microsoft Sydney, 1 Epping Rd, North Ryde When: Wednesday 13th May Time: Loadfest starts at 5.00pm Website: http://www.windowsusergroup.com/ RSVP: email windowsusergroup@live.com Melbourne Deakin UniversityVenue: Deakin Univeristy Burwood Campus Room he1.0021When: Thursday 4th JuneTime: 5pm till lateWebsite: Deakinmsp.comRSVP: elmarschippers@studnet-partners.com.auMonash UniversityVenue: Monash University, Building 63, Level 1 FoyerWhen: Thursday 4th JuneTime: 1pm to 5pmWebsite: http://www.monashmsp.com/RSVP: (not required, but) email davidwarner@student-partners.com.auVictoria .NET Venue: Microsoft Melbourne, Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank When: Tuesday 12th May Time: 5.30pm Website: http://www.victoriadotnet.com.au/vic-victorianet-dev-sig-formed/vic-victorianet-dev-sig-events.aspx RSVP: Turn up on the day! WollongongUOW Computer ClubVenue: Building 3, University of WollongongWhen: Thursday 4th June (TBC)Time: 18:30-21:30 onwards (Install Fest occurs between 8:30pm til late)Website: http://www.uowmsp.com/blog RSVP: email skd488@uow.edu.au or simply arrive on the day! (public welcome)PerthUniversity of Western AustraliaVenue: Weatherburn Lecture Theatre, at UWA's Crawley Campus.When: Thursday May 14th 4pm Time: 4pm, after most lectures.Website: http://www.wamsp.com.au/2009/05/imagine-the-possibilities/No RSVP required as we have seating for over 200 people.
We went around with a camera and a mic to get some some comments from attendees at the Heroes Happen 2008 Launch event at Sydney. I even had a go at interviewing, try and spot the blooper. Video below.
With Vista SP1 RTM'ing (release to manufacture) I decided to install it on my work laptop, the Toshiba R500. The Windows Vista SP1 Update is around 550MB and it was an absolute breeze to set up. It took about an hour and a bit to finish up and after a few restarts I was ready to use my laptop again. After the first few hours of use I did notice a performance increase with applications loading up faster. Resuming from sleep mode also is quicker and the lag when logging in isn't there for me anymore. One of the things I noticed pre-SP1 that I found annoying was viewing images in the photo gallery. Whenever I use to click on an image or photo it would take a while to load up the image but now it loads up straight away. Copying files is definitely faster, I tried copying from an external disk and from the network drive and was happy with the results. SP1 is great for IT Professionals because it will make your life easier around deployment and management of the technology. You will be able to maintain a single WinPE image because you can install 64-bit versions of Vista from a 32-bit OS. There is improvements in BitLocker drive encryption, it offers a multifactor authentication method which combines a key protected by TPM with a startup key on a USB device and a user generated PIN. There is also improvements in patch deployment and installation times for updates. There are many more changes so check out the plethora of improvements in Service Pack 1.
When can you get your hands on it? From the Windows Vista Team Blog- Here's the timing for SP1 availability for current Windows Vista users:
Maybe we should throw a party in March for SP1? Ill talk to Windows guys about it...
We received some very interesting entries! I wish we had more that we could give away. The following are the winning entries. Congrats! "I would use the back pack to carry my little dog around in. He rocks!! Check out: http://ruskydotnet.blogspot.com/2007/08/ace-is-doggie-rescue-calendar-winner.html" Aaron Saikovski – Readify
"I'd use the bag for commuting. I do a bit of running and run to work each day. Imagine the perceptions we could smash if motorists saw a nerd running instead of them thinking we’re stuck in front of an Xbox with crumbs down our t-shirts all day" Martin Harris – DET NSW
"Sometimes my wife makes me a yummy sandwich which I struggle to carry along, client visits!!" Kamol Sagwan- Avanade
"My wife and I both turn 30 next year, we plan to celebrate with a holiday to Uluru. The backpack would come to good use climbing the rock and also be a nice home for my notebook when we are not blogging about our adventure." Damien Kearns
"Because I live in a rural area, there is a belief that professional IT support is not available. I take MCSE books to job tickets to educate the wider community against IT hacks & educate up and comers on the courses/exams they should be doing." Chris – Caroll Secure Computing
"It looks like a versatile backpack. Not only would I be able to use it to cart work stuff (I commute 100 Kms daily) I've two young kids and going anywhere eg aquarium, public parks we need to seriously load up." Romy Stevenson – Coles
"I would love a backpack that allows me to a) pretend my boss isn’t too tight to pay for a ticket to Tech Ed, and b) use a strap to hold my stomach in after eating too much at free Microsoft events (the only events I can go to)." Michele Liva – DET NSW
"STUDY: Mandarin class Mondays so I need room for my Books, Pads, pens and pencils WORK: Need to carry a laptop and phone home often FITNESS: Running gear needs to be separate from my laptop and study. Plus it looks like a cool backpack." Paul Moorhouse – EDS
"The bag as my comfort to know that it’s my pillow when I need those naps (hopefully not during work), to defend and protect my laptop and gadgets should I accidentally drop them in despair and of course as a daily reminder to save up for the next Tech Ed." Gavin Tan - Avanade
"I was busy hard at work trying to explain the intricacies of best practice to our customers. How could this be hard and why would a backpack help? Again! An easy answer, they are armed. So a nice swish backpack to tuck in my XPS would greatly assist in running." Carl Bindels – QLD Police Service