Losing a cell phone sucks. I've been lucky enough to not do it myself, but I know what a pain it can be.

This Mobile superhero software from YouGetItBack.com helps mitigate some of the pain caused by this. Install the software on your phone. If it is lost or stolen, the phone can be remotely locked from the website. You can also back up your phone contacts to their secure server.

If someone finds the phone, they can use the phone to report it lost or stolen. That's it. The phone is inaccessible. I did find that on a power cycle, the Nokia N95 I was testing with was briefly accessible until the security software activated. However, it's about as locked down as it gets.

Mobile Superhero can be downloaded for free and it supports a number of Blackberry, Nokia, and Samsung handsets. After the 30 day trial, it costs $19.95 a year. You can also opt for physical asset tags for $9.95 that are good for three years, but they do not protect the access to your phone. The tags can be used on any item, though.