¿Dónde está mi móvil?

Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo (pictured) has been left embarrassed at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona after a pickpocket stole his phone – one of only a handful running a pre-release version of Microsoft’s still top-secret new edition of Windows Mobile.

Microsoft now reckons it faces an industrial espionage threat, as the phone – an HTC Diamond II – could fall into the wrong hands, allowing a competitor an advance look at the company’s new Windows Mobile 6.5 software.

The company’s operatives are on the pickpocket’s case.

However, judging by luke-warm early reviews from journalists in Barcelona – who were allowed to view the new version Windows Mobile but not even touch the HTC phone it was running on – the thief is in more danger of being bored to death.

Rubbing salt into Microsoft and Telstra’s wounds, Mr Trujillo was not even in possession of the HTC Diamond II at the time it was nicked. Rather, after being given the precious handset by Microsoft, he promptly palmed it off on a collegue.

A spokesperson for Testra says Mr Trujillo has six cellphones, and that it can be hard to keep track of them all.