Phone was loaded with top-secret software
Stolen by pickpocket in Spain
Microsoft facing industrial espionage threat
A MOBILE phone loaded with top-secret software given to Telstra boss Sol Trujillo has apparently been stolen by a pickpocket.
The new-generation software was on a phone given to Mr Trujillo in Barcelona, Spain this week at the World Mobile Congress - a haven for pickpockets.
The theft has left Telstra and Mr Trujillo embarrassed, and Microsoft facing an industrial espionage threat, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The phone is believed to be either an HTC Touch Pro2 or the HTC Touch Diamond2, which operates on the new Windows Mobile 6.5 software.
A Telstra spokesman yesterday confirmed the phone was given to Mr Trujillo, but said it was in the possession of a senior Telstra executive at the time of the theft.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer this week unveiled the software, which is so hush-hush journalists at the launch were not even allowed to touch the new HTC phone.
The phone will hit US shelves by June, but the software is not due for release until the end of the year.
It is believed Mr Trujillo - who has at least six mobile phones - was testing the software for any problems.
"What if news of those bugs is released early before a final version goes on sale," said industrial espionage expert Les Goldsmith, who added that Microsoft's shares could be affected by the incident.
The Windows software on the stolen phone provides users with one-touch access to their favourite songs from their music library, their latest mail messages or their favourite social networking applications.
It also runs Internet Explorer 6 in full fidelity.
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