Lost iPhone prototype issue getting complicated

The issue of lost iPhone and Apple's formal letter to get it back was stretched beyond the lost-and-found case to criminal offense. On Friday, members of the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team, or REACT task force executed a warrant to search the home of a Gizmodo.com blogger, Jason Chen, who had published information about a lost Apple Inc. iPhone prototype, seizing computers and other equipment. Chen he returned home Friday to find police searching through his possessions, having broken down the front door.

REACT, the California police task force steering committee is reported to have included members of several large Silicon Valley firms -- including Apple, Google, Adobe, and others.
In a recent twist in the story, Gawker Media, the owner company of Gizmodo blog, claimed that the warrant used by police to search an editor's home was invalid.
In another statement, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, told that the engineer who showed Woz an iPad on the morning of the iPad launch was fired. Woz told, he was not aware that the iPad was unreleased 3G version.
The iPad in question could be the following twitter photo of Woz holding iPad.

Lost and Found iPhone 4G, Apple wants it back

Next version of iPhone is expected to be released in June. But, this is the the first time an Apple device reached in somebody else’s hand (unauthorized) before being unveiled by Steve Jobs. It was so unlikely event that almost everybody suspected the authenticity of the device when TechCrunch published the photo of the iDevice. Then, by some means TechCruch’s rival blog Gizmodo got hold of the device. Gizmodo said it obtained the prototype a company engineer had left at a bar. The device, disguised as the current 3GS model, was found in a bar in Redwood City, California. Today, Gizmodo has reportedly told that it paid $5,000 to get hold of the device. Gizmodo said Monday evening that it is making arrangements to return the errant device, following a request from Apple's legal department. Gizmodo in a post posted the letter and says that the letter is a proof of the authencity of of the device: This phone was lost, and then found. But from Apple's perspective, it could have been considered stolen. I told them, all they have to do to get it back is to claim it—on record. This formal request from Apple's legal department is that claim. It proves—if there was any doubt in your mind—that this thing is real. It is still a mystery how an unreleased Apple product could be left at a most unlikely location, a bar. Apple is notoriously popular for closely guarding access to new products. According to some people familiar with a more than 10-page non-disclosure document for iPad, told that the testers had to promise to keep it quarantined in a room with blacked-out windows and key-card locks.  According to Gizmodo, the new device features: Front-facing video chat camera Improved back-camera (larger lens) Camera flash Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad) Improved display. What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack Split buttons for volume Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic

iPad

No mention of GPS, web camera, multi-tasking capability but the price of the new iPad device from Apple, announced today is half the rumored $1000 mark. Pricewise the 16 GB iPad, for $499, is sure to succeed when you compare it with Kindle or Nook. But, it is to be seen weather the ‘zoomed-in iPod Touch’ will appeal the public. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiling iPad, a new Apple tablet device:

Apple's 'latest creation' – iPad, iBooks (UPDATE)

Today we will know whether Apple has created a new ground breaking device and changed the world again. Apple has scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. Eastern time today. I will add the details here, as they unfold. Apple’s latest creation, "way better than a laptop, way better than a phone," as mentioned by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, is finally unveiled after a long speculation and rumors. The 1.5 pounds touch tablet sports 9.7 inch display and includes 1 GHz Apple-built ARM A4 processor. The processor includes CPU and graphics in a single chip and the device will come in capacities of 16GB to 64GB of flash storage. The device is told to have 10 hours of battery life while watching video and one-month of standby charge. In addition to the iPad, Apple’s e-book reading application, iBooks, was also revealed in the event. iPad Specifications 9.7 inch IPS display 0.5 inches thin 1.5 pounds Full capacitive multi-touch interface 16-64GB of Flash memory storage 1 GHz Apple-branded A4 chip (developed in-house) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 802.11n WiFi Built-in Speaker Built-in Microphone Accelerometer & Compass 30-pin Dock connector (same as iPod and iPhone) 10-hours of battery life (Over one month standby time) Runs all iPhone apps App Store application included Default iPad Apps Safari Mail Photos iPod Calendar Contacts Notes Maps Movies YouTube iTunes Store App Store