Share Files Online with Business-Friendly Pogoplug Biz

A longtime favorite gizmo of mine, the clever Pogoplug turns USB drives into network-attached, Internet-accessible storage.

Last year's version was shockingly (almost annoyingly) pink, but the new Pogoplug Biz comes dressed for the office in buttoned-down black. Even better, it offers a wealth of business-friendly new features, including:

• Customization: You can customize the Pogoplug interface to include your company logo and domain. You can also brand the e-mails that are sent when you share files.
• Custom E-mail Addresses: The service provides custom e-mail addresses that allow clients and customers to e-mail files directly to your Pogoplug. You can create an unlimited number of custom upload folders and give them each a unique e-mail address.
• Protected Sharing: Share viewable files online while preventing them from being downloaded. That's perfect for creative types who want to show clients previews of work while keeping the files protected.
• Remote Backup: You can continuously mirror all or part of your Pogoplug storage to a second Pogoplug in a remote location. For example: one at the office, another at the home office.

The question is whether the aforementioned new features are worth a significantly higher price. While the original Pogoplug still sells for $129, the Pogoplug Biz well set you back $299.

I think that's reasonable for any SMB, especially considering how cheap USB hard drives are these days. (It's easy to find 1-terabyte drives selling for under $100, for example.) If you're a one- or two-person shop, however, you can probably get by with the original Pogoplug -- assuming you can stomach the color, that is.