The first beta release of Windows 7 may be out in just over a month, according to the official website of the MSDN Developer Conference.
The first two MSDN Developer Conferences to take place after December are scheduled for January 13, so the note strongly suggests Microsoft will start handing out Windows 7 beta DVDs then.
http://techreport.com/discussions.x/15993
First Windows 7 beta coming out in early January
First Windows 7 beta coming out in early January 
