Lost iPhone Saga

                              Gizmodo editor Jason Chen showed the prototype in a video


Gray Powell, the Apple computer engineer who lost the phone, forgot it while out celebrating his 27th birthday at a German beer garden called Haus Staudt.

The phone was disguised as an iPhone 3G version, but the people who obtained it worked out its true identity.

After Apple discovered that the handset had been sold to Gizmodo, it demanded that the device be returned.

The Cupertino-based electronics giant even contacted police who searched Mr Chen's home and confiscated three Apple laptops, a 32GB Apple iPad, a 16GB iPhone and a Samsung digital camera.

Gizmodo eventually did give the prototype back - but only after it published photos and a video of the device on its website.

The story became known as The Complete Lost iPhone Saga.

Former Gizmodo editorial director Brian Lam reflected on the incident in his blog.

"An hour after the story went live, the phone rang and the number was from Apple HQ," he wrote, adding that the call was from the former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died on 5 October 2011.

Mr Jobs asked to have his phone back.

"He wasn't demanding. He was asking. And he was charming and he was funny," wrote Mr Lam.

"I appreciate you had your fun with our phone and I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the sales guy who lost it," continued Mr Lam, quoting Mr Jobs. "But we need the phone back because we can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Before he hung up, he asked me, 'What do you think of it?"

"I said, 'It's beautiful.