Not that keen on downloading and test driving the Beta of Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 4.0 Beta for free? Well, Microsoft has upped the stakes, and is offering an incentive for testers that are willing to test the latest development milestone of MAP 4.0 and provide feedback. Essentially, the Redmond-based company is ready to reward the best filed bug for the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 4.0 with a Zune digital media player. A single Zune 120GB music player will be offered to the Beta participant that will submit the top bug on the way to RTM of MAP, Microsoft explained.

“The criteria are simple. At the end of the Beta Program, the development team will select the most impactful code-specific bugs for the RTM release. The filer of this bug will be the winner,” revealed Baldwin Ng, Microsoft Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators. “Note: It is the quality of the bug on our software code that counts and not the number of bugs that you filed. We welcome you to file bugs on typos and grammatical errors; however, these bugs will not be accepted for this contest.”

The first Beta of Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 4.0 went live earlier this month and is currently available for download via Microsoft Connect. Customers will discover that the release has been tailored to the next iteration of the Windows client and server operating systems. In this context, the solution accelerator now comes with support for Windows 7 hardware and device compatibility assessment; Windows Server 2008 R2 hardware and device compatibility assessment; and virtualization candidates assessment for Hyper-V R2 Server consolidation.

“This contest is for Microsoft customers and partners only. Microsoft employees and vendors are encouraged to submit their feedback but they will not be able to enter the contest. Deadline is June 30, 2009 (5:00 pm Pacific Time). All bugs must be submitted via the Connect.microsoft.com site where MAP 4.0 beta is located,” Baldwin Ng added.