I opened Contacts app on my iPad and iPod touch. Empty. Empty.

I'm still not sure from which device the contacts were first eradicated. But what had happened next is clear: Having deleted all the contacts at one location, MobileMe syncing took over and deleted all the contacts from every other device--leaving me with an unwanted clean slate on all of my synced devices.

What had caused the initial disappearance? I am not certain (although I have my suspicions). I certain that I did not inadvertently delete the data myself. This symptom is not exactly new; there are numerous references on the Web to similar occurrences due to a variety of causes. None of the suggested causes matched my situation. I was not syncing from Entourage, I had not turned off MobileMe syncing, or done anything else cited.

In situations like this, however, investigating the cause is a luxury for another day. The more pressing question is: How do I get my contacts back?

The answer depends upon what you may or may not have done prior to the disaster. Here are the potential options: