MS not worried over 'misplaced' Windows Mobile 6.5 prototype

20.02.2009
The unveiling of Microsoft's at GSMA Mobile World in Barcelona earlier this week was intended to show Redmond's commitment to developing competitive smartphone software. However, the announcement is being overshadowed by security concerns, after someone stole one of the few mobile phone prototypes containing the work-in-progress operating system.

According to the , the phone belonged to Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo, but was taken from the pocket of another unnamed Telstra executive.

Could this be corporate espionage? While it seems unlikely that Apple or RIM would want to steal the impressive remote interface ideas conceived by Microsoft, getting the operating system into the wrong hands at this stage could still hurt the company. Leaks to the press, especially about bugs or badly-developed features, could hurt the OS before Microsoft has a chance to get Mobile 6.5 ready for public beta.

If Microsoft is worried, the company isn't admitting it. The Morning Herald article quotes a spokesperson, "Although we regret that the prototype given to Telstra was misplaced, we don't envisage the loss of one Windows Mobile 6.5 phone...as impacting Microsoft in any way."

That's a reasonable response, since petty theft is far more likely than corporate espionage. According to , street crime is so rampant in Barcelona that the GMSA has threatened to move the conference to another location in coming years. "The muggings haven't stopped. One participant...had his mobile phone stolen while an ex-colleague is still in a Barcelona hospital after having been stabbed."

Perhaps, somewhere in Spain, a pickpocket may be struggling with a buggy, pre-release operating system.