Between seducing a female show host live on national radio and attending a promotional tour at Telstra’s Windows Phone 7 launch event, the man, the legend, Isaiah Mustafa even took time out during his Australia visit to record a podcast.

Hosted by Microsoft Australia employees Michael Kordahi and Andrew Coates, Isaiah chatted about getting a Windows Phone 7, why he likes it, technology, games, viral videos, sports, internet fame and TV shows during the packed 11-minute segment.

Although no body wash is involved, it’s definitely still worth a look and a listen.

Update: The video has since been taken down due to low quality. The podcast’s audio is available here.

Early adopters of Windows Phone 7 users in Australia might have noticed a lack of local results in both the Bing search application and Maps application (also powered by Bing). If you haven’t, you’ll find a search for “McDonalds” in Melbourne will take you to McDonalds of South Carolina, USA. Not quite within walking distance.

Fortunately, Rafael Rivera and I have found a workaround. Although it’s going to sound stupid, rest assured, it means you won’t be completely out of luck until Microsoft fixes this.

Enable “Local” results in Bing search and Maps:

1. Go to the application list
2. Open “Settings“
3. Open “region & language“
4. Scroll to bottom and change “Browser & search language” to “English (United States)“

Furthermore, you can opt to sell out more of your Australian pride for the extra voice searching functionality (ex. “Find Pizza in Melbourne”) which too has been disabled.

Enable voice searching:

1. Scroll to top and change “Display language” to “English (United States)“
2. Change the “Regional format” to “English (Australia)“
3. Touch the “Tap here to accept changes and restart your phone.” link

Note: This setting is OEM-dependent and may be limited or disabled in which case will have no effect. HTC devices seems to have this locked. LG and Samsung do not.

The two downside to this workaround is that all distances will be provided in miles instead of kilometres and “News” results will source US publishers than Australian ones. Pain worth suffering in my opinion.

Although it’s hard to fully comprehend the irony of this situation, I’m guessing the reason behind this is the fact that Bing’s mobile web service does not return “local” results if the locale is set to Australian. Having said that they obviously don’t lack the database to provide such a service since it’s filled with local listings provided by Yellow Pages. Can someone please flick the switch.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Windows Phone 7. From a distance, WP7 is undeniably fresh in a sea of familiar faces. Up close, it’s invitingly simple yet can still put a smile on your face with little gems of interactive delight; not unlike a product from Apple.

Although not the fault of the software by any means, as I’ve found after my week-long use, Australian users will be getting the short end of the stick with some essential service-based functionality watered down. Having said that, this is a great product even at the lowest common denominator.

Since the Microsoft press conference on October 12, I’ve been using an LG Optimus 7Q (also known as the LG Quantum in the US) as my only mobile phone. Bear in mind this particular handset is a pre-production device so I won’t make any judgements on the hardware, still, Windows Phone 7 shines.

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Look at your phone. Now back to me. Now back to your phone. Now back to me. Sadly, your phone isn’t a Windows Phone 7 but starting from next week it could be.

An obscure YouTube video featuring Isaiah Mustafa of Old Spice Guy fame tweeted by Microsoft Australia employees is apparently the internal teaser to an Australian marketing campaign for Windows Phone 7 down under, most likely to coincide with the availability of WP7 devices on October 21.

Even though this is not the first time Microsoft will be taking advantage of a popular web meme considering how well received the Double Rainbow campaign for Windows Live was, the Old Spice Guy has much broader awareness and will offer a lot more creative flexibility for the campaign.

Perhaps he will ride a horse backwards on the Sydney Harbour Bridge or a swan dive into shark-infested waters. The possibilities are endless. If one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be fun.

At the Sydney Windows Phone 7 press conference today, Microsoft Australia and its OEM & carrier partners announced various pricing options for WP7 devices in Australia. If you’re looking for a WP7 phone down under, here’s all the different ways you can get one after October 21.

The premier local launch carrier, Telstra, has two devices available at launch. The HTC 7 Mozart will be available for free ($0) upfront on a $49 plan with a 24 month contract. The LG Optimus 7Q with a slide-out keyboard will be available on a special consumer plan with unlimited national calls, SMS, MMS and 3GB of monthly data allowance for $0 upfront on a $129 plan with a 24 month contract. (This special plan will be available at the end of the month, may be soon after launch.)

Unfortunately the elusive HTC HD7 is not available at launch. It’s officially slated to be available exclusively through Telstra next year in 2011. You would be wise to bet the first half of the year.

Optus will be offering both the LG Optimus 7 (without slide-out keyboard) and Samsung Omnia 7 for $0 upfront with a $79 Optus Cap plan for consumers and $79 Business Complete Ultimate plan for the enterprise on 24 month contracts.

Finally, Vodafone will be offering the HTC 7 Trophy however pricing has not been revealed.

Those looking for a little more plans flexibility will be glad to know that WP7 phones will be available outright. LG representatives revealed to me that both their Optimus 7 and Optimus 7Q have a recommended retail price of $799, however Telstra, Optus and retailers reserve the right to sell it for more (or less). It’s not sure whether these devices will be carrier-locked.

Four phones on three carriers. Not a bad effort for a launch a week away.

The localized Australian version of the Windows Phone 7 portal has just been updated with the range of phones that will be officially available in the Australian market.

Those exclusive to Telstra include the LG Optimus 7Q, HTC 7 Mozart. Others include the Samsung Omnia 7 and HTC 7 Trophy, presumably available via other carriers and retailers. Features and specifications are available for comparison on the website.

Although the selection might seem limited with just four of the nine WP7 devices revealed at the official launch in NYC, it’s a great start considering many of them are not exclusive to just one carrier unlike the US market. Having said that, the much-anticipated HTC HD7 seems to be giving down under a miss. HD7 might still be coming?

Expect more information about Windows Phone 7 specific to the Australian market at the Microsoft/Telstra press conference later today.

Update: Thanks to a heads up from commenter “Mackenzie Price”, HTC’s official press release suggests the HD7 is still coming to Australia as a Telstra exclusive, contrary to both Microsoft’s website and press release.