If you’re the kind of person who likes to stream media around the home then the chances are you’ve come across Plex at least, even if you don’t currently use it. If you want to stream it to your Windows Phone smartphone, too, then Plex is going to be something you’ll want to check out again.

Nokia may still be wiping off its bloody nose, but it is getting ready for the biggest phone launch the company has ever had to put together. The US release of the Lumia 900 is an important one for Nokia, and it is now clear that the Finnish firm isn’t holding back.

Deciding on which web browser is best is arguably one of the most contested disputes on the internet, with web surfers tending to opt for either Safari, Firefox or Google’s Chrome offering. If you happen to be one of the many who prefer Google Chrome, and also happen to let Microsoft handle your smartphone requirements then the chances are that you could benefit from an app that allows easy, problem-free synchronization of data in between the two.

So, before I begin, let me preface this post with a little backstory: During CES, Microsoft hosted a competition called ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’. Basically, the premise of it was that you would be issued a task on your smartphone, and evangelist Ben Rudolph of Microsoft would then wield a Windows Phone and try to perform that task quicker. If you lose, you would have to admit that you were ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’. And, if you do beat the Windows Phone to performing the task, you’d win $1,000.

With the Nokia Lumia 900 set to launch at the back end of next month, the Finnish company is hoping that the Windows Phone powered handset will make a large impact on the American buyers. The Nokia Lumia 900 is the latest in the Lumia family of handsets to be launched and will be seen as the flagship device of the range featuring premium features, including 4G LTE technology and will hopefully be available for AT&T customers in the United States in the next six weeks.

It came as a little bit of shock when Nokia and Microsoft announced a partnership in 2011 that would see the ailing Finnish mobile device maker implement the Windows Phone OS in its next-generation of smartphone releases. The plan was for Nokia to see out their commitment to the Symbian software before ultimately designing and rolling out a range of smartphones powered completely by the Microsoft mobile OS.

If you are the type of person who listens to the age old ‘size does matter’ saying, then chances are that you spend most of your life walking around feeling inferior to those around you. General society has this belief that bigger is always better, in every situation, all of the time which in most circumstances I would strongly disagree with. However, if you are to believe the research carried out by Strategy Analytics then it would appear that bigger is indeed better when it comes to mobile devices.

While the minor, incremental Windows Phone Tango/Refresh update is right around the corner – which, primarily, will allow Windows Phone to penetrate the lower-end emerging markets with diminished hardware requirements and functionality – a far more major update is on the horizon.

Speaking to enthusiast blog Windows Phone Italy, Duico Stefania, chief of the Windows Phone division in Microsoft Italy, mentioned that Tango, the upcoming Windows Phone update will be officially referred to as the Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh. While there isn’t anything spectacularly new feature-wise, it is through the 7.5 Refresh update that Windows Phone will be able to penetrate the entry-level market.

Security, or the lack of it, is very much a hot button topic these days, and nowhere more so than in the mobile space. It seems things may be getting worse before they get any better.

Ah Skype, the world wide web’s voice-over-internet protocol of choice and probably the most well known brand name to offer VoIP services. When Niklas Zennström originally created the Skype service, I often wondered if he had any idea that it would become such a popular platform around the world and that the might of Microsoft would ultimately come in and acquire the company like it did last year. For those that may have been living under a rather large rock for the last few years, Skype allows registered users to make worldwide voice calls via the internet as well as offering instant messaging-type services and is available on multiple platforms.

It has been just over twelve months since Finnish communications company, Nokia, joined forces with the might of Microsoft in an attempt to boost their falling worldwide mobile phone sales by manufacturing devices featuring the Windows Phone 7 operating system. The move represented a somewhat bumpy journey into the unknown for Nokia but was seen as an attempt to try and break the stranglehold that Android and iOS powered devices have over the industry.

Now, this is a fairly spontaneous rumor with little proof, so this one must be taken with a grain of salt: Microsoft is reportedly in talks with record labels on creating a new music service that caters to the Xbox and “an upcoming Windows-based phone”.

Whenever I get a new or upgraded smartphone, the first application that I always head for is my preferred Twitter app but I concede that is possibly due to the fact that I am not really a Facebook user. With over 800 million active account holders, it is no surprise that the Facebook mobile application is one of the most downloaded pieces of software across all mobile platforms.

With Microsoft desperately trying to make Windows Phone into a real competitor for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, the platform finds itself suffering the same issues that Android was lamented for during its infancy – a severe lack of quality apps.

Remember when the original iPhone was launched in 2007 and you were blown away by the fact that it was an advanced mobile phone, a media player and an iPod all mashed together into one beautiful device? Remember when you were listening to music and you turned the device into landscape orientation for the first time and the UI morphed into a beautiful Cover Flow of the available album artwork? Even if that wasn’t enough to make your jaw hit the floor, when I saw a friend’s iPhone do that, it was enough to make me rush out and buy one right away.

Regardless of whether you are a fan of the Apple iPhone or not, it is very difficult to argue with the freight train momentum and success that the mobile smartphone has achieved in the last five years. Judging by the statistics that surround the sales of the phone, and the record breaking financial results posted by Apple for the end of 2011, it seems that the popularity of the iPhone is set to rise and rise with every release.

For any consumer who may be taking the time to consider purchasing a new mobile phone, or a tablet computer, they will more than likely begin by considering either an Apple iPhone or iPad as their purchase of choice. With over a quarter of a billion iOS devices sold around the world, the iPhone and iPad are insanely popular, and considered by many to be the leading products in the mobile computing sector.

Whilst iOS and Android dominate much of the mobile software headlines, Microsoft has been steadily building a stable legion of support from consumers and developers alike.

While there is no news of Instagram for Windows Phone 7*, an independent developer has released an alternative app of sorts called InstaCam. Details after the jump!