Google Employee Lost Nexus 4 in a Bar

Okay, first, the bad news: no new information about the phone is in this post. The people who got the phone back didn't sell the prototype to a news organization, as happened with the iPhone 4 prototype.

Still here? Good. This is still an interesting story. Back in September, a bartender at the 500 Club in San Francisco stumbled across an unclaimed phone. A colleague quickly realized that the device wasn't released yet, and probably the next Nexus. There was no SIM card, and the back was plastered with the words "Not for Sale." Trying to do the right thing, the colleague, who was only referred to as Dave, contacted Google about the device.

The next day, Dave came into work upset. Apparently, Google's Global Investigations & Intelligence Manager, Brian Katz, decided that the best way to get the phone back was to lie to Dave and threaten criminal action.

Google did eventually collect the device on the 20th of September, and offered the two free phones to keep quiet.

Well, Wired got the story, so I'm guessing that they don't have new phones.

If this story sounds familiar, that's because it is. Aside from the bartender trying to do the right thing, this story is identical to what happened with Apple's iPhone 4. Of course, Apple's response to the incident was even more severe than Google's, though Apple was a more secretive company at the time.

So, what's the moral of this story? If you work at a high tech company and happen to have a hotly anticipated phone, for the love of god don't go drinking with it. Leave it at home, or at the office, and use a spare. You're going to lose it, and you are going to be in big, big trouble. Alcohol and secrets have never gone together, people.

Wired Photo by : theopie