Google I/O 2011 Attendee Victim of Severe Douchbaggery: Swag Swiped

This is Logan Carriveau, one of the 6000 attendees at Google I/O 2011. Logan, like most Googler I/O attendees, has been collecting some really awesome goodies thanks to Google and their OEM partners.  Just this morning he had snagged one of the transforming Chrome balls that Google was tossing out after the keynote, plus a T-shirt, and of course, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.  He had all that swag in yet more swag, a Box.net tote bag.

Then he had all of it stolen while eating lunch today. His goodies were sitting right next to his backpack in the tote bag.  Some scumbag snagged the tote which was sitting right next to him, at his feet.  Lunch at Google I/O 2011 is served on the first floor, and nothing else is there except Registration, Help, and the Gear Giveaway booth.

More than One Victim, of Tablet Takeaway

When Logan went to Registration Support to see if anyone heard about a thief on the loose, he found out there were at least two other stolen tablets, and one was actually returned.  The help desk person asked for his serial number, and since Logan still had the box the Galaxy Tab came in, he found it was not a match for the returned tablet.

Security was checking badges of anyone riding the escalator to events on the second and third floors, but checking people on the first floor was a lot spottier.  We can’t imagine most Google I/O developers sinking so low as swiping other people’s swag, so we’ll assume someone in off the street, or probably one of those mangy media types.

One of the vendors at the site gave Logan a consolation prize, an odd Xperia Play that has some non-standard ports and a slightly smaller display area.  (The screen is the right size, it just doesn’t display using it all.)  That’s the phone he’s showing here.  You might have heard about the “Oprah moment” when every attendee at the Game Developers’ session was given a new Xperia Play by Sony Ericsson.  Well, he wasn’t at the Gamer’s session but he got an Xperia Play for his troubles.

The stolen tablets’ serial numbers has been reported, so you might not want to bid on any you see going up on eBay any time soon.  Share your thoughts on who you think would stoop so low as to pull a grab and go at an event like Google I/O 2011.  And at least this happened at lunch, so his Verizon 4G Mobile Hotspot, given out this afternoon, didn’t go walkabout as well.

Follow us on twitter: Here’s Why

Incidentally, if you follow us on twitter, you may have seen the pix of the  LG Optimus 3D running Speedtest and Quadrant Benchmark.  LG has an after- Google I/O event and gave a few of these lovelies out to invited attendees.  Our pictures were of Logan’s phone, running on his SIM card from T-Mobile, that was used to create the images. and Logan was the first one at the LG event to figure out that the phone is quadband HSPA+.  Yes, Logan is @blink_c, and we thank him again for letting us take the pictures and for sharing this cautionary tale that even a totebag by one’s feet isn’t enough to thwart a determined thief whose douchebaggedness knows no bounds.