The pickpocket that scored Sol Trujillo's prototype Windows Mobile 6.5 phone will be very unhappy. Very unhappy indeed.
UPDATE | Our source has clarified that the phone had its data and user interface (which was not stored in ROM) wiped, but not the operating system itself, as Windows Mobile doesn't have the capability to fully wipe itself.
Where are the leaked screenshots of the supposedly top secret Windows Mobile 6.5? After last week's pick-pocketing theft of a handset given to Telstra head honcho Sol Trujillo we'd be expecting someone, somewhere to be leaking details of the latest mobile OS from Redmond. Not that we suspect any self-respecting journalist or blogger to be in cahoots with the thieves but surely someone might have realised that there was an opportunity here. Even if the OS wasn't of value surely Trujillo's contact list and private details might have been of interest to some parties.
We spoke to a senior Microsoft staffer on condition of anonymity and they revealed that, other than the theft of a handset, the entire operating system and all the user data on the handset were remotely erased as soon as the theft was reported.
So, although Telstra and Microsoft were left with egg on their faces after an embarrassing gaffe, the net result ought to be one that both parties should be quietly satisfied with. Sure, they lost a handset but the few hundreds of dollars lost through the phone were miniscule compared to potential loss of face caused by leaking their latest and greatest product.
Potential corporate customers should be pleased that Windows Mobile remote security features worked and that all the data was kept away from prying eyes, leaving the pickpocket with nothing but a sleek-looking brick.