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Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/digitaldefences/0,3800014341,39169268,00.htm

Poll: The most expensive gadgets lost are...
So where did you see it last?

By Gemma Simpson

Published: Tuesday 27 November 2007

Mobile phones are the most expensive gadgets which get lost the most often, according to a poll of silicon.com readers.

Asked which is the priciest gadget they've lost, mobile phones came top with almost two-fifths (37 per cent) of respondents admitting they're the most expensive devices they've misplaced.

Security from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for Antivirus
B is for Botnets
C is for CMA
D is for DDoS
E is for Extradition
F is for Federated identity
G is for Google
H is for Hackers
I is for IM
J is for Jaschan (Sven)
K is for Kids
L is for Love Bug
M is for Microsoft
N is for Neologisms
O is for Orange
P is for Passwords
Q is for Questions
R is for Rootkits
S is for Spyware
T is for Two-factor authentication
U is for USB sticks/devices
V is for Virus variants
W is for Wi-fi
X is for OS X
Y is for You
Z is for Zero-day

USB memory sticks came in second, with 21 per cent of respondents losing the diddy devices. Digital cameras came third with 16 per cent of the vote.

But silicon.com readers keep a strong grip on their iPods and other musical gadgets, with only six per cent of respondents saying an MP3 player is the most expensive device they've lost.

PDAs and laptops came in at joint fifth, both taking 10 per cent of the vote. Recent research found UK business travellers lose up to 8,500 mobile devices in the country's airports alone every year.

But losing gadgets is more than just a nuisance and can cause businesses to take more than just a financial hit, with mobile devices potentially holding work-related or other sensitive information.

The recent HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) data breach - where CDs containing confidential personal details of 25 million child benefit recipients were mislaid - is one example of how misplacing technology can cause major problems. In this incident, damage to its reputation with security experts and the silicon.com CIO Jury, is just one problem the HMRC faces.

Last year a Freedom of Information enquiry by silicon.com revealed how many mobile phones have gone astray in a number of government departments, as well as unearthing some more unusual losses.