Today we are delighted to begin rolling out a new firmware update to our customers that activates a number of new features we have announced in recent months, including our new cloud printing feature. In addition, both the Pogoplug Wireless Extender and Pogoplug Biz are now shipping.

The print feature that we announced at the beginning of summer allows users to print from iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and any other Internet enabled device from anywhere in the world! The setup is simple; all users need to do is plug any HP or Epson printer made since 2005 into a USB port on the Pogoplug, or if it’s a network printer, simply have it on the same network as the Pogoplug. The firmware update begins rolling out to Pogoplug users today, and all users should have the update by the end of the week.

Our newest product, the Pogoplug Wireless Extender, allows users to place the Pogoplug anywhere in their homes where there is wireless internet access, without having to connect it to a network router or wired Ethernet port. The Pogoplug Wireless Extender begins shipping today.

Pogoplug Biz is an all-new version of Pogoplug specifically for businesses that gives business owners all the great features from the original Pogoplug, along with business specific features like customizable emails, a custom look and feel, file download and access statistics, and multiple users.

If you haven’t already, order your Pogoplug Biz and Wireless Extender now! Click here.

-       Upload and download any file type and size

-       Improved audio handling: now the audio file in any folder or filter will begin playing after the first one finishes—it will also continue playing when the phone sleeps

-       Photo viewing is truly full screen: your pictures are larger because the control buttons only appear when you press the screen

The app is available for free today in the Android marketplace and will work on Android 2.1 and above. The earlier Pogoplug Android App, version 2.3, is still available for users still using Android 1.5 and 1.6.

The Pogoplug Wireless Adapter is compatible with all previous versions of Pogoplugs and the recently announced Pogoplug Biz.  Other recent improvements we’ve added to the Pogoplug include cloud printing, the updated Pogoplug Android application, the ability to share and collaborate on documents directly on the Pogoplug, and a very simple system of email upload.  We are constantly striving to make the Pogoplug even better, and we would love to hear what your experience has been and how we can improve it.  Keep sending those emails!

The Pogoplug Wireless Adapter will work on 802.11 b/g/n networks and is available for pre-order now for $29.

In addition to the introduction of the new Wireless Adapter, we are reducing the price of the current Pogoplug from $129 to $99.

Because of this price move and as a thank you to existing Pogoplug owners there is a special limited time offer; any existing owner of a Pogoplug can receive a promo code to get the new Wireless Adapter for free.  To find out how, visit our Facebook page or our website support page.

Pogoplug announces today the introduction of the Pogoplug Biz, a new version that gives business users safe and secure remotely accessible storage and a flexible system for controlling access to video, audio, photos, and documents from anywhere on the Internet.

The product installs in 60 seconds and requires no modification to network or firewall settings. Pogoplug Biz lets you use your own domain name and includes a customizable user interface and email templates to allow you seamlessly represent your company whenever you share files online. A Pogoplug Biz, combined with one or more USB hard drives provides businesses with an extensible cloud storage solution with no monthly fees.

Pogoplug Biz features include:

• Usage Statistics and Auditing: quickly access a summary of how many times a file or folder has been viewed, streamed or downloaded. Keep track of the number of views, streams, and downloads.
• Customization: customize the look and feel of the Pogoplug interface, including the color, logo, domain name and background image. Customize the look and feel of emails that are sent when you share files.
• Custom Email Addresses: claim your own custom email addresses and let your clients email files to your Pogoplug. Create an unlimited number of custom upload folders and give them each a unique email address to share with your clients.
• Cloud/Mobile Printing: print from any mobile device, including the iPhone and iPad. Print to any printer connected to Pogoplug, from anywhere.
• Web View-Only Sharing: share viewable files over the web while preventing them from being downloaded. Web View is perfect for creative professionals and photographers who want to show clients previews of work but not allow them to download the files.
• Multiple Users: allows an administrator to set access levels and storage quotas for individual users.
• Remote backup: continuously mirror all or part of your Pogoplug storage to a second Pogoplug in a remote location.

“Businesses need online storage and sharing solutions that aren’t encumbered by fees or limitations,” said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc.  “Pogoplug Biz gives companies a secure, private and customizable solution to solve this problem.”

The Pogoplug Biz is available for preorder at Pogoplug.com/buy. Pogoplug Biz costs $299 with lifetime Pogoplug service.

Existing Users Note:
If you already own a Pogoplug and would like to upgrade to Pogoplug Biz. We will offer you a ‘$100 off’ promo coupon towards the purchase of a Pogoplug Biz.

-email support@pogoplug.com with a scan of your original Pogoplug purchase receipt and send it from your Pogoplug account email address
-You will not need to send in your current Pogoplug to get the promo code
-Limit one promo code per existing user

Pogoplug, the popular multimedia sharing device, today announced a major upgrade with the launch of Pogoplug “web printing.” Now, for the first time, users can print from an iPhone, iPad, Android or other mobile device from anywhere in the world.

“Pogoplug’s vision is to free the modern digital lifestyle from dependence on an always-on home or office computer,” said Daniel Putterman, CEO and co-founder of Cloud Engines, Inc.  “First we changed the way people think about personal storage by making every hard drive accessible over the Internet. Now we’re web-enabling printers.”

Pogoplug cloud printing will initially support all HP printer models and all Epson printers released since 2005.  Set-up is simple and straightforward; once a printer is connected to a Pogoplug, it is ready to use.

Additionally, users can email any document directly to their Pogoplug for printing.  Printers can be shared with friends, family and colleagues or used to create printer ‘hotspots’ for temporary access to a printer in a public location.

The new Pogoplug “cloud printing” feature is coming automatically to existing and future Pogoplug customers later this Summer. There are no fees for the new feature.

With the Pogoplug 2.3 Android App, users are able to:

• Quickly search and view music by Artist, Song, Album, or genre – Now find and stream music more easily from USB hard drives connected to your home Pogoplug to your Android phone, so all your music can be streamed to your Android phone.
• Share files directly from their Android phone – Pictures, videos, and other content created on your Android phone can be saved on your Pogoplug connected drive and shared online. Record your child’s first steps using your Android phone and within seconds upload it to your Pogoplug connected drives and share the video with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends.
• Search for a file across all your Pogoplug drives – A search will look through files on any drive connected to your Pogoplug, save time by searching all your drives at once.
• Create folders on your drives – Use your Android phone to create brand new folders on your Pogoplug connected drives so everything stays organized.

View Any Doc Within My.Pogoplug.Com
In the current version of Pogoplug, when you want to view or edit a document, it opens your local application (MS Office, Acrobat, etc) to handle the work. A lot of our users wanted the ability to view their documents directly within their Pogoplug environment. So we’re happy to announce that we have full compatibility with many of the popular document formats! This is a great feature, and we really think it’ll help a lot of people who need to review docs but want to get through them as fast as possible. Supported formats include:

Microsoft Word (Office 95 and newer) – .doc, .docx
MicrosoftExcel (Office 95 and newer) – .xls, .xlsx, xls5, xls95
Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 97 and newer) – .ppt, .pptx
Open Office Documents (.stw, .sxw)
Open Office Drawings (.sxd, .std,.odg)
Open Office Presentations (.sti,.sxi)
Open Office Spreadsheet (.stc,.sxc)
PDF
CSV
TXT
XML
RTF

Email Files to your Pogoplug
Since email is the number one way people communicate in business, and the top use of all computers, AND the easiest way for people to get files from place to place, AND the most portable way to be in digital communication, we wanted to make email an easy part of getting files to a Pogoplug. And it is easy! All users have to do is email “upload@mypogoplug.com” with a file attachment (or multiple files), and they will automatically get sent straight to that user’s Pogoplug! The Pogoplug.com service already authenticates users by email address, so no special registration, plugin, download, or other step is needed to get going. We think this is a fantastic way for business users to keep an always-accessible document archive and a fun way for consumers to share photos and videos to their family directly from mobile devices.

The updates will automatically be rolling out to Pogoplug users later today, without requiring anyone to install or download or configure any new settings. We’re really excited about these two new features, and always listening on our community to hear what else you may want. Feel free to join the conversation there, or engage with us on twitter and let us know what you think!

Here are the rules:

1. Follow @Pogoplug so we can direct message you for details if you have won.
2. Take a picture of your Pogoplug. The Pogoplug must be clearly visible in the picture, plugged in and active with either a USB drive or USB flash stick connected.
3. Put the picture in a folder on your Pogoplug attached drive and share the folder using the “Publish to Twitter” feature. In the message be sure to put: Check out my @Pogoplug setup! #Pogoproud

Here is how winners will be selected:

1. The first 3 people to share the photo from their Pogoplug with the correct phrase and the #Pogoproud hashtag will be contacted via the @Pogoplug Twitter account for their shipping information to receive the 1TB hard drive.
2. The first 20 people to share the photo from their Pogoplug with the correct phrase and the #Pogoproud hashtag will be contacted for their shirt size and shipping information.
3. All participants who share the photo from their Pogoplug with the correct phrase and the #Pogoproud hashtag for the next two weeks will be cataloged– one entry per Pogoplug.
4. At the end of contest, we will randomly select one Twitter name from the cataloged participants as the winner of the iPad.

Please note that all winners of the 1TB drive will also win a t-shirt and it is possible for one person to win all three prizes!

That’s it! We hope you enjoy participating. We know we will enjoy all your pictures!

If you have any questions email contest@pogoplug.com.

We think the iPad is a great new way to consume multimedia. The intuitive multi-touch interface, the immersive high-resolution screen and the extreme ease of portability mean it is now easier and more enjoyable than ever to share photos and watch videos on the go. The iPad’s only limitation is the relatively small amount of data the device can hold. It’s like having a fast, cool car with a small gas tank. Just when you are getting revved up, you’re out of gas. The Pogoplug gives the iPad an infinite gas tank because the Pogoplug service allows you to continuously stream your media directly to your iPad. You don’t have to choose which files, photos and videos to put on your iPad because you will have access to them all. Though we at Pogoplug are as anxious as anyone to get our hands on one, we aren’t worrying about internal memory because we know that with the help of a Pogoplug you can get as much data as want on your iPad.

We’ve had our iPhone app available for several months and it is one of the most popular additions to the service we have made since we started shipping Pogoplugs. Our users often blog or tweet about how they love being able to access their whole digital life through their iPhone. They love streaming their own music to their handset. They love having their own movies streamed to them on the go. They call it “heaven” and “cloud mine.”

With the launch of the iPad, we are updating the my.pogoplug.com service to work with html5 video and audio playback so you can stream all your media using the Pogoplug web app from the iPad.

Once you get your iPad tell us how you are using the Pogoplug and iPad combination.

With game console support, Pogoplug owners can now easily access, share, and stream their media directly to their Xbox 360 or PS3 from any local or remotely located Pogoplug. Gamers can watch home movies from their Pogoplug connected external hard drive on their Xbox 360 or PS3, share slideshows or listen to their entire music library without ever putting down their game controller. The Xbox 360 or PS3 automatically sees the drives connected to the Pogoplug and the contents of other shared Pogoplugs.

Active Copy enables users to backup folders on their computer to a Pogoplug connected drive. Whenever new files are added, or changes are made to an existing file within the Active Copy enabled folder, these files are automatically copied to a chosen destination folder. Now users can also use Active Copy to automatically backup key files from one Pogoplug to another off-site Pogoplug, for additional safety and redundancy.

Both features came from user requests and both update to all Pogoplugs worldwide via an automatic firmware upgrade beginning tonight.