In a nutshell...

All your desktop PC’s files, available on your phone. Browsing your desktop, listening to MP3s from home or flicking through photo albums without copying them over.

Judgement time!

Slick-as-you-like Orb lets you tap into your desktop computer anywhere in the world, just using a web browser. Any web browser, including the one on your phone.

It means you can call up photos, music, documents and more, just by leaving your computer switched on at home and pointing a web browser its way while you’re out on the road.

Unlike competitors like SoonR, Orb doesn’t feature fancy extras like Skype or Mac support, but it is super-stable and includes some nice touches.

Dive into your music folder and you’ll be given the option to tune into internet radio (most networks are fine, although we couldn’t get any stations to work using 3’s 3G network). There’s also the option to stream videos, which you won’t find when using SoonR. You can also set up weather and RSS feeds so you’ll always be up to date.

Unfortunately, Orb has its own shortcomings. Flick through a folder full of photos and you’ll find no way to easily save them to your phone’s memory. There’s also the inherent necessity of keeping your desktop computer switched on. That’s a worry for anyone paying their own electricity bill, or twitchy about their crumbly desktop overheating while they’re out.

Still. It’s completely free, and slicker than some remote file viewers. Give it a whirl, but don’t expect it to mirror your PC in terms of speed or performance.