We are always working hard to make sure Pogoplug® is the best it can be for our users. We’ve been developing two things that that we are excited to share with the Pogoplug community today: a facelift for my.pogoplug.com and a brand new iPhone® app!

Our new Web interface has been getting rave reviews from early users and we can’t wait to share it with the rest of the Pogoplug community! In additional to a cool new look, the new Web interface makes it easier than ever to:

1. View and share files
2. See the files you share andthose others share with you
3. Navigate your photos, videosand music
4. Set up backup between yourPogoplug-connected hard drives
5. Access our Help Center

In addition to our cool new Web interface, our new iPhone® app is now available in the Apple® App Store and on our website!  The new app has a fresh new look and has been streamlined to make key features more accessible. View photos, stream videos and share any of your files or folders. Listen to your music and quickly navigate your collection by song, artist, album or genre. Even upload photos and videos from your phone in seconds!

We hope you love these two new releases as much as we do!  If you have any questions or need help, please visit our Help Center when you are logged into my.pogoplug.com.

New Web Interface

New iPhone App

Our very own President and CEO, Daniel Putterman will be speaking at the 2011 Montgomery Technology Conference today from 3:30 to 4 p.m. in the Catalina room.

As an industry-leading digital media entrepreneur, with 20+ years of experience, Dan was selected to speak at the conference about cloud computing and the trends surrounding it. He will also be providing a company profile of Pogoplug.

If you’re attending and have wanted to learn more about “the cloud”, then you don’t want to miss out on what he has to say about the industry and where he thinks it’s headed.

In our last post about how our users make Pogoplug work for them we talked about how a Sea Scout leader and a website creator were using Pogoplug; this time we are spotlighting professional photographer Chris A Michaels.  Chris has found Pogoplug the perfect tool for his work.

Hi-resolution photos are too large to send via email and Chris has been burning DVDs to send to his clients via mail.  Pogoplug makes life a lot easier. Chris explains: “Instead of having to burn a DVD, I can simply send a link to a private gallery on my hard drive, and my clients can instantly copy all of the shots to their respective computers, in full resolution.” No more waiting for the postman. With the view-only sharing option, photographers also have the option to prevent their customers from downloading proofs, only allowing them to view the files online.

Chris finds that the Pogoplug is just as easy for his customers to navigate.  He explained: “It is excellent that they can preview the images in the built-in image sorter, which lets them choose which shots they want to download, if they don’t want the entire folder.”

Have an interesting story or use case?
We love to hear what our users are using Pogoplug for—if you have a story you would like to share please email marketing@pogoplug.com.

Today we announced that we have received $15 million in financing from new investors Softbank Capital and Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners (AIP) and existing investor Foundry Group.  The capital will be used to continue to expand the global distribution of the Pogoplug service and devices.

“Pogoplug is positioned to become the de facto way that consumers and businesses connect to their home and office storage,” said Ron Fisher, General Partner at Softbank Capital. “Pogoplug’s capabilities are perfectly suited for integration with offerings from Internet service providers as part of a monthly fee.”

“We believe that Pogoplug is on a fast path to becoming the world’s leading cloud storage service,” said Jamey Sperans, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley AIP. “What the management team has accomplished to date is remarkable. And the company’s model for delivering unlimited cloud storage to users is both unique and well-timed given the tremendous growth of the global mobile device market.”

“This financing allows us to accelerate our worldwide consumer retail channel expansion to make Pogoplug devices easy for anyone to purchase,” said Daniel Putterman, President and CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. “The confidence we have received from the financial community reaffirms that the personal cloud category we are building is going to be a key driver in consumer storage technologies.”

The Pogoplug user community is a diverse blend of interesting people from many different parts of the world and this is easily seen in the many ways people use their Pogoplugs.  From the simple and private sharing of photos with Mom across the country to the publication of shared links on personal blogs, our users take the Pogoplug platform to places we never imagined. With this in mind, we thought it would be fun to start sharing some of the creative ways you’re using your Pogoplug. We think they’re awesome and may inspire others to take owning their personal cloud to a new level!

Pogoplug gives a UK youth Sea Scout Group a way to share files in the field:
Across the Atlantic, Richard is a scout leader who was spending too much time sending files for trips and projects.  His Pogoplug has been a huge help for him and his troop:
Pogoplug is making a massive difference for us. As we redevelop our safety boat procedures, volunteers are able to download the most current version and comment on it. When we design signage, volunteers can download it and not have to reinvent the wheel. I could go on and on, but the key thing is that with Pogoplug more of the time donated by our team of volunteers goes into the community and supporting young people rather than administration.
And no matter where Richard and his group are, he can easily get up to date information on his iPhone using the Pogoplug Mobile App.  Pogoplug allows Richard and other Sea Scout volunteers to spend less time with administrative work and more time in the water!

Pogoplug Biz adds value to entrepreneurial plan:
JJ has used his Pogoplug Biz to create an entire website that relies on Pogoplug software to host and share content.  He is currently developing NYCmodels.net, a place where  its genetically gifted members can upload unlimited photos to their own individual modeling profiles.  Members can create different folders for different types of modeling, employ social media like Twitter and Facebook to update followers on changes to their profiles and use the space to house their entire portfolio and gain exposure.  All of the pictures are hosted on JJ’s Pogoplug Biz connected hard drives, giving JJ plenty of space to grow on with a low one time overhead of just $299.  Pogoplug Biz just got a little more beautiful.

As you can see while JJ and Richard use their Pogoplug for widely different uses, both are taking advantage of the great value Pogoplug provides. Unlike other sharing and hosting services, with Pogoplug you pay once and never again, while offering almost unlimited opportunity for expansion.  And getting more for your money is important whether you are volunteering in your community or starting a new business!

Have an interesting story or use case?
We love to hear what our users are using Pogoplug for—if you have a story you would like to share please email marketing@pogoplug.com.