Share any USB hard drive over the internet in a snap with next to no configuration with Pogoplug, an impressive new plug-and-play gadget.
The device is a small white brick—just a little bigger than a regular AC adapter—that can fit just about anywhere. Pogoplug costs $100, which isn't pocket change by any means, but if you've ever looked for a dead simple solution for sharing an external drive (or hell, even a thumb drive) over the internet, it doesn't get any easier than Pogoplug. Here's how it works:
1) Plug it into your router.
2) Plug it into the wall.
3) Register your Pogoplug ID on their web site.
4) Enjoy.
The Good
It really is that easy. If you need a little more hand-holding, the Pogoplug activation page walks through every step with video. You'll sign up with a username and login, which you can then use to login to Pogoplug's web interface and access your files.
If you'd prefer to access your files as though they're on a hard drive rather than through the web interface, you can do that, too, using the Pogoplug Drive application (Windows and Mac). They've even got an iPhone application that's awaiting the approval process for quick access from anywhere.
The Bad
For one, there's the price. It's not terrible, but for anyone who knows how to build a home FTP server, for example, this seems awfully spendy. It's not necessarily marketed for the server-building crowd.
Still, I would be head over heels for the Pogoplug if not for one small thing. The anywhere-internet access is fantastic, but if it just took things one step further and set up a local Samba share so that I could access the drive locally without going through the Pogoplug authorization (and could, for example, get to that external drive from my Xbox 360), Pogoplug would be my new favorite gadget. Imagine a Pogoplug that created an instant NAS with this tiny footprint and shared files over the internet. Now that's a winner.