Have You Ever Lost Your iPad?

Earlier this week when I was in San Diego for a speaking engagement, I unknowingly left my iPad in the large hotel ballroom.  I had settled into my front row seat to hear our keynote speaker, Magic Johnson.  We then received word that he was going to be late because LA was socked in with fog so instead he would be our lunch speaker.  I then left the ballroom without my iPad and didn't realize until a few hours later that I didn't have it.  

After getting over that initial sick feeling that it was lost forever, I went to the Find My iPad app on my iPhone and began the tracking process.  The location came up immediately as being across from the hotel at Starbucks.  I remotely sounded the alarm on the iPad and made sure that it was also locked.  The iPad was then on the move further away from the hotel.  I sounded the alarm again.  I sent a message to the iPad with my cellphone number and another alarm.  Lo and behold as I started my trek to the lobby from the 35th floor, the tracking showed that the iPad was returning to the hotel.  I kept sending alarms.  

By the time I got to the Lobby, the tracking was showing that the iPad was back in the hotel.  I went to the front desk and asked about the iPad.  They didn't have it, but called Security to inquire about it.  The iPad wasn't in Lost and Found, but they would let me know if it was turned in.  I kept sending alarms the entire time, not sure if the alarm sounds and shuts off or keeps sounding.  

I then thought that I should go to the conference registration booth upstairs to see if they had it.  I sent another alarm just in case so I would hear it en route.  As I approached the registration booth, I could hear my iPad alarm sounding.  As soon as I walked up to the booth, they asked if it was my iPad and I said yes.  They said "thank God, the sounding of the alarm was driving them crazy."  I suggested that the next time they are in a similar situation, that they open it up and see the telephone number on the screen that they could have called.  They said that they hadn't thought of that.  We laughed and I was thrilled to have my iPad back.  

I never found out who had it out for coffee and a short walk outside the hotel, but quite frankly, I didn't care.  I had it back. The Find My iPad / iPhone app is a great addition and I would suggest that you familiarize yourself with it just in case.