Like the idiot I am I left my phone in a taxi and am unlikely to get it back - don't worry this isn't a sob story.

First up, this is a bit of a rambling post and I wasn't sure where to put it, but it covers many aspects so "general" seemed appropriate to me.

This is the first time I have ever lost a phone and am strangely relaxed about it. I blocked the sim, changed all my passwords and because I have been using google+ all my photos have been synced online, so I've only lost the phone.
I say only but I can replace the phone it's the data that is normally so important.
As an android user I have been experimenting with many ROMs which has led me to continually backup my data and look at using cloud based storage which eases the pain when performing wipes (recommended when installing custom ROMs).
So what have I learned? Firstly, don't leave your phone on the back seat of the taxi ;-)
Secondly make sure you are syncing your contacts - I use google as my main contact manager these days.
Third, regularly back up. If you have an iPhone make sure you sync it regularly with iTunes and Android users should be syncing their data to google. I know people with Android phones who do not know their google username and password. Madness. They use hotmail.
If you buy music or take photos on the handset make sure you back these up.

I'm a three customer and they dealt with my call very quickly. My sim was blocked within a few minutes of me calling them. I collected a new sim in store and it was activated within 24 hours. When I went to the store I expected to buy a new handset and was eyeing up the Galaxy S2, but the sales guy never even offered me anything or try and up sell my current 30 day contract. So I legged it over to Argos to buy the Orange San Francisco (AKA the ZTE Blade) which cost me £120 (including £10 topup).
Why the Blade? Cheap and cheerful handset that can be unlocked for free online, rooted and allows me to install a custom ROM.
After charging the handset I was up and running with an android handset running the latest version with about 10 - 15 minutes.
I unlocked it first, then I had a look to see what version of the Blade I had (a Gen 1) added the necessary files to root and install the custom ROM (see herehttp://android.modaco.com/topic/3377...2-tpt-upgrade/) I am running a CyanogenMod nightly build.

How do I like the blade? Well it's no Nexus S (my lost phone), but you know it's not that bad. In fact it's actually fairly decent. It has a nice form factor, being light and small and is fairly responsive. What I am having to get used to is the small screen. However, I can type really fast on the Blade, so perhaps the smaller screen makes typing easier.
I have no expectations about the device and it really will be a stop gap until I set my sights on newer hardware, but for anyone wanting to dip their toes into Android waters this would be a good choice.

I can see me making some decisions over the next few months. I've always been a phone geek, but I don't actually use a "phone" and I have an iPad now, which let's be honest is quite portable and much better than any phone. Yes it's apples and pears, but my point is that I do not need an all singing all dancing phone anymore.
Could I therefore be tempted to keep the blade for the next 12 months? I seriously doubt it, but the blade is a good phone and I would need to justify the cost of yet another phone.

And that is my story. When all is said and done, I feel like a numpty and will really miss the Nexus S, but that is what happens when you don't look after your property!