Man swipes prototype phones from Sony Ericsson, is caught

Details are still a bit fuzzy on this one, but reports out of Sweden say that a 35-year-old man swiped a batch of prototype phones from Sony Ericsson's Lund offices on Monday or Tuesday and was then promptly arrested on Wednesday after police discovered the prototypes, along with a hundred other phones, at his home. According to Sony Ericsson, the man was not an employee but had a "working relationship" with the company, and apparently used a pass card to gain entry to the building. Police also found a laptop with some unspecified contents at the man's home, and say that the total value of the theft was about 750,000 kronor, or roughly $90,000.

[Image courtesy Skånskan.se, thanks Örjan]

[Richard Lai @ Jan 14th 2009 6:05PM]

So THAT's how prototype phones end up on eBay...

[Marcus @ Jan 14th 2009 6:19PM]

Hahaha I live in Lund. My friend's dad works there at SE and Thomas(my friend) always shows me pictures of funny phones with digits on them. What if it's his dad!?

[scarface4832 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:06PM]

"working relationship" heh its wonderful how many things that can be.

Hmm I think I'll let my mind wander now

[Canis_Minor @ Jan 14th 2009 7:46PM]

Uh oh. I wonder if this is Eldar Murtazin? Would explain his status as a consultant to the mobile industry that is able to leak phones continually. Guess we should watch what happens to Mobile-Review.

[Robbie @ Jan 14th 2009 6:06PM]

Thats one cunning map

[Malikye @ Jan 14th 2009 6:16PM]

so he used a "35-year-old map" to find his way around the building? got-cha!

[Boyo @ Jan 14th 2009 6:38PM]

Dang, I got a 35 year old map to Silver Dollar City. Still no silver and still no dollars, but this is inspiring news.

[Dirt Wrangler @ Jan 14th 2009 7:01PM]

Probably a map of China.

[Jongscx @ Jan 14th 2009 7:05PM]

Holy crap... if Sweden has Walking/Talking Sentient Maps that steal phones... Maybe we should start worrying about them creating a robot army to take over the world...

[Jonathan-DBOSS @ Jan 14th 2009 8:58PM]

With GPSs nowadays, the 35 year-old map had to resort to something. Especially in these hard economic times.

[eggothewaffle @ Jan 14th 2009 6:07PM]

"...but reports out of Sweden say that a 35-year-old map swiped a batch of prototype phones from Sony Ericsson's Lund offices on Monday or Tuesday and was then promptly arrested on Wedneday after police discovered the prototypes."

Damn, that is one snappy map, especially for a 35-year old one.

[dziban303 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:11PM]

It's so old, it still has the Soviet Union on it.

[npChaos @ Jan 14th 2009 6:36PM]

In former Soviet Union, map shows you!

[Kris120890 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:08PM]

Well while you engadget is busy deleting my comments. How many phones did he steal and I can't really think Phone companies will want them seeing as though most phones will be the same hardware.

[dziban303 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:09PM]

Oh, so THAT'S what the little red minus box is for!

[joe @ Jan 14th 2009 6:09PM]

swiper no swiping! come on now a map stealing a phone?

[decypher44 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:16PM]

Dammit, you beat me to it!

[Kris120890 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:10PM]

That last comment is what everyone is wishing about you.

[Hampus @ Jan 14th 2009 6:10PM]

Hah, this shit is so common, i've heard that employees usually steal tons of thrown away prototypes from several sources.
I've even seen one myself, was a while back, but it was when cameraphones where making a breakthrough, and it was a ugly rounded thing.

[Jose Alvarez @ Jan 14th 2009 6:49PM]

Are you kidding? I don't know about you, but this is the first time I've heard of a map stealing phones. Map crime rates must be higher where you live

[Jacob @ Jan 14th 2009 6:12PM]

Oh NO! Boy Genius is going to jail!!!

[ILoveApple @ Jan 14th 2009 6:15PM]

ROFL. I think it's Eldar Murtazin this time, not Boy Genius :P

[Aaron @ Jan 14th 2009 6:56PM]

Haha, that was my reaction too. :)

[NOT YOU AGAIN @ Jan 14th 2009 6:16PM]

I think that the institution you live in is very progressive to allow you internet access however I do think that they need to monitor your medication a little more closely.

I say this as a long time reader of Engadget, having witnessed many of your crazy comments I think it is safe to say you may be suffering from OCAPD (Obsessive Compulsive Apple Product Disorder)

[Mike @ Jan 14th 2009 6:25PM]

"750,000 kronor" sounds pretty awesome.

[Alpinerover @ Jan 14th 2009 7:12PM]

Yeah, kronor would be "crowns" in English, but it sounds better in Swedish.

[MikeWard1701 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:45PM]

Steve Jobs is 35?

[MikeWard1701 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:49PM]

Wait, I see what they did, they transposed the numbers.

[bjay @ Jan 14th 2009 6:46PM]

35 year old MAP swiping protos from Sweden, the world is going bollocks

[Plothole @ Jan 14th 2009 6:59PM]

The map is not to blame. The changes in geography over the pasted 35 years destroyed its sense of self worth, and drove it to a life of crime. Truly the map is the victim.

[bjay @ Jan 14th 2009 7:20PM]

@Plothole HAHA, surely lol

[pat1202003 @ Jan 14th 2009 6:50PM]

You spelled map wrong in the headline.

[Malikye @ Jan 14th 2009 7:37PM]

good catch! i can't believe the title wasn't correct. i'll understand if there are some typos in the story, but you can't have typos in the title of an article.

[Greg Mcp @ Jan 14th 2009 6:51PM]

But does he own a blurry cam?

[Chird @ Jan 14th 2009 10:10PM]

"Details are still a bit fuzzy [pictures] on this one"

[Daniel @ Jan 14th 2009 6:52PM]

I guess there is hope for me. I have problems typing most of the time, guess I can get a job here.

[CrystaljDesign @ Jan 14th 2009 6:59PM]

"Who is swiping? Oh my god, map is swiping!"

[Alpinerover @ Jan 14th 2009 7:08PM]

That seemingly harmless map of Helsinki the front desk received from Nokia the other day was a bit more than meets the eye.

[eurobloke @ Jan 15th 2009 1:59AM]

Nokia in Stadi (Helsinki)? Wrong, Nokia is in Espoo, the city next door!

[Wormbolt @ Jan 14th 2009 7:10PM]

That's how desperate some people are to cut and paste.

[Spelling King @ Jan 14th 2009 7:20PM]

Thats one smart map...;)

[feraligatr8 @ Jan 14th 2009 7:29PM]

I bet it was sum1 from engadget, how else do u think they get their information?

[el_kachino @ Jan 14th 2009 7:44PM]

However did that happen? I mean...'p' is waay over yonder from 'n'...

[feraligatr8 @ Jan 14th 2009 8:23PM]

I bet it was someone from engadget, how else do u think they get their stories?

[jussi @ Jan 14th 2009 8:39PM]

Now, in what geek's home would you NOT find a "laptop with some unspecified contents"? Isn't that kind of like saying "police also found toilet paper in his bathroom and electricity in his sockets" ;)

[Daniel @ Jan 14th 2009 11:09PM]

Lol you made me pee in my pants from laughing so hard. J/k but i did laugh really hard.

[Taylor @ Jan 15th 2009 12:00AM]

Probably just the media trying to hype up the story a bit.

If its contents are unspecified then he MIGHT have child porn on there!

[Sirius @ Jan 15th 2009 2:49AM]

What an asshole...




Didn't he know he had to post pictures of the prototypes to at least 100 gadget blogs *right* after he got home?

[derX @ Jan 15th 2009 4:24AM]

My sentiments exactly.

Selfish bastard deserved to be caught.

[Abdo @ Jan 15th 2009 4:27AM]

I work for a subsidiary of Sony Ericsson in Lund, but we got things more under control here.

The guy probably just stole some of the old prototypes they have lying around in bins there.