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Telstra executive sparks Microsoft security scare
By Asher Moses
An unnamed Telstra executive has sparked a major security scare at Microsoft after a phone loaded with a secret upcoming version of the Windows Mobile operating system was stolen out of his pocket in Spain.
The phone belonged to Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo, who was testing the device before its release at the end of the year, News Ltd reported. But a spokesman for the telco would not confirm this.
The spokesman said the phone - developed by HTC and loaded with Microsoft's top-secret Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system - was in the possession of another unnamed Telstra executive at the time of the theft.
The incident could have serious implications for Microsoft as Windows Mobile 6.5 has hardly been touched by anyone outside the company and high-level telco executives.
Leaks regarding the features and early bugs in the software could mar its launch, which would be damaging as Microsoft is pinning its hopes on Windows Mobile 6.5 to give it an edge over new competitors such as the iPhone and Google's Android operating system.
Telstra's spokesman directed all questions about the security implications of the theft to Microsoft.
Microsoft played down the implications of the theft.
"Although we regret that the prototype given to Telstra was misplaced, we don't envisage the loss of one Windows Mobile 6.5 phone in Barcelona as impacting Microsoft in any way," a spokesman said.
A who's who of the mobile industry is in Barcelona this week for the Mobile World Congress, where the latest products and trends are being revealed.
Pickpocketing, theft and street crime are rife during the congress, leading to calls for the event to be moved to another city.
The Inquirer, an online technology news website, reported that congress organiser GSMA told the mayor of Barcelona the venue would be moved if the level of theft did not improve.
"One participant, who asked not to be named, had his mobile phone stolen while an ex-colleague is still in a Barcelona hospital after having been stabbed," the website reported.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer unveiled Windows Mobile 6.5 for the first time at the congress this week.
Motorola said it would release a phone running the operating system in the second half of this year, while HTC would have two Windows Mobile 6.5 models on sale in the US in June.