Retrieving contacts and data from a broken phone.

I’m getting a replacement for my broken Xperia Neo next week. I’d like to retrieve as much as I can from it. The screen is no longer working (water damaged) but I managed to answer a call on it yesterday so it’s not entirely caput.
I’ve connected it the PC and tried using Sony’s software to transfer but it just isn’t working. How much of the data (contacts etc) will be on the memory card or SIM card? Will I lose all my text threads?
It hasn’t properly synced to Google for quite a while so they won’t be there.

Dammit. Wrong forum again.

Nothing goes on the SIM card any more.

If you are lucky, photos will be on the microSD card.

When you say you managed to answer a call, did you have to touch a particular area of the screen, or did you use a button to answer the call? If the touch screen is still working, you might be able to force a contact sync if you can find another similar phone so as to work out exactly where you have to press at each step.

Oh, and stupid questions:

1)presumably you didn’t have USB debugging enabled, if you happened to have it enabled, you can view the screen of the phone on a PC.

2)If you are lucky and the touchscreen works but the display doesn’t, if you use the HDMI output (mini hdmi -> hdmi cable to connect to TV), can you see the phone screen?

As it’s an android phone all your contacts should be backed up to your Google account, if you use one. You can view them in the contacts section of Gmail.

Yeah, I swiped the bottom of the screen. I knew where to do this but didn’t know if would work – it did. So I guess it’s the display that’s not working but the touchscreen is.
I don’t know what USB debugging is. I do have a HDMI output. It might be a bit of a hunt around to find the cable but I guess it should connect to my PC monitor.

If you get on, there’s an app on google play called SMS backup which lets you backup SMS threads.

It seems my contacts are on the SIM. Not all of them made it to my Google account when I’ve accessed that online by PC.

I’ve managed to get the screen up by HDMI but frustratingly Google Play won’t get past ‘no connection’ despite Wifi and having plenty of signal.

However, if anyone ever needs a plane landing remotely without being able to look at the controls – I seem to have developed the required skills.