Mobile phone Backupa and Rescue (Auckland, New Zealand)

What makes smashing or losing a mobile phone such a pain is the fact that few phone owners sync or back up their contacts, images and songs stored on the gadget.

Some mobile stores now use transfer devices that allow customers to walk away with their contacts and media on a USB stick, or to transfer everything when upgrading.

But increasingly, mobile apps are able to do "over the air" back ups of contacts, diaries, and data to remote storage servers.

"That means that when you leave the store, all of your mobile content is automatically backed up," said Dianne Canham from mobile synchronization firm CelleBrite.

"The user doesn't actually have to instigate anything like going on the internet, or download anything, as this happens automatically," she said.

How Tough is your phone?

Putting your life in your handset is risky, especially if you kill it. But at the 2009 MWC, i-mate showed off a handset that can take much more punishment than most.

Named after a US military spec, the 810-F can be dropped from three metres (10 feet), works in temperatures ranging from sub-zero to 60 degrees Celsius, is dustproof, and water resistant.

Dan put its toughness to the test by driving over it in a car. It stayed in one piece and even its touchscreen was still working.

If you prepared to splash out £600 on this handset when it comes out in April, then you too could impress your friends. One of its useful features is that your data can be protected if you lose it.

"If this device is lost or stolen, you can log in at any place and set a lock, an alarm, and even wipe the data located on the phone at any time," said Michael Cavey, sales director at i-mate. "And if it is damaged we'll replace it."

Top Ten Mobile Phones in the World (David Lim, Auckland, New Zealand)

The following is the ranking of the Top Rated Mobile Phones by CNET's Editor. I personally use and own two of the Nokia's and Sony Ericsson.

Apple iPhone 3G
Apple's long-awaited upgrade with GPS and 3G

Samsung i8510
Smart phone with 8-megapixel camera

Nokia E71
Feature-packed smart phone with a Qwerty keypad

HTC Touch HD

Publish Post

Attractive smart phone with a large touchscreen

Sony Ericsson C905
8-megapixel camera phone with GPS and Wi-Fi

Sony Ericsson K800i
3G handset with 3.2 megapixel camera

Nokia N95 8GB
Smart phone with built-in sat-nav, MP3 player, Wi-Fi, 5-megapixel camera and 8GB memory

BlackBerry Bold 9000
Feature-packed smartphone with a very sharp screen


Sony Ericsson K750i
Mobile phone with almost 100MB of storage, 2-megapixel camera, radio and MP3 player

Nokia N95
All-in-one handset with built-in sat-nav, MP3 player, Wi-Fi and 5-megapixel camera

Sony Ericsson W760i
Feature-packed slider music phone

Top 10 Selling Mobile Phone 2008: Australia (David Lim, GDI)

Nokia E71

With its combination of excellent features and performance, matched with sleek design and its affordable price tag, Nokia's E71 manages to outshine recently released smartphones as our business phone of choice. 07/07/2008

Samsung INNOV8 (i8510)

The INNOV8 is loaded with features and sports massive storage. If you're in the market for a mobile phone that can do just about anything the INNOV8 should be on your shortlist. 28/07/2008

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Thee X1's good looks and strong hardware are hampered by frequent performance lag, an unintuitive user experience and its jaw-dropping price tag. 11/02/2008

LG Renoir KC910
With an excellent 8-megapixel camera and a finger-friendly touchscreen, the Renoir is exactly what it sets out to be: one of the best camera phones of the year. 26/08/2008

Nokia 6600 Slide
If you're not bothered with having every feature under the sun and want a phone that's small and easy to use, the Nokia 6600 Slide is it. 29/04/2008

LG Viewty (KU990)

The touchscreen interface and sexier design will be enough to make knees tremble, however, the Viewty's 5-megapixel camera falls short of our expectations. 26/11/2007

Samsung Omnia
In terms of features the Omnia stands out as one of the best smartphones to date. It's a shame this doesn't translate into a phone we'd enjoy using from day to day. 05/09/2008

Nokia N96 It's a little slimmer and it has loads of storage, but Nokia's latest flagship model has little to justify its top-shelf price tag. 12/02/2008

BlackBerry Storm 9500
The Storm's clickable display has given us confidence in touchscreens we haven't enjoyed before now. It won't be for everyone, but those who master this system will be rewarded with an excellent smartphone experience. 09/10/2008

Nokia 6500 Slide
The Nokia 6500 Slide is an attractive 3G phone, but despite features like video-out doesn't really offer anything enticing enough to buy one. 04/09/2007