Software-based PogoPlug: this one can't catch on fire

Cloud Engines Inc. announced a new aspect to the Pogoplug media server solution, the software-only Pogoplug that gives users mobile access to photos, music, and movies that they have stored on their home computer.

"Our software-only product is a very natural expansion of the Pogoplug streaming service that started with our hardware," Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc said in a statement Wednesday.

It was exactly one week ago that Cloud Engines experienced a panic about its latest Pogoplug hardware. The company issued a complete recall for the Pogoplug Video, because of two reported cases of units overheating, smoking and possibly even catching on fire. It was the third design revision for Pogoplug, and the first Pogoplug product to use a powered fan.

It was also given freely to more than 600 attendees of the D: AllThingsDigital conference at the end of May.

"We don't know how common this problem could be, but we're not taking any chances," Putterman said.  "As a result, our company is undertaking an immediate worldwide recall of the product."

The Pogoplug software maintains all of the sharing and data access solutions provided by the original Pogoplug hardware, letting users access and share files of any size or type from anywhere. The software includes three new Web Apps: Jukebox for music, Cinema for movies, and Gallery for pictures, and a view of all the PCs and hard drives connected to the Pogoplug service.

The software and the file sharing service are free, but streaming music outside the home network, or streaming movies anywhere requires a $29 one time premium service charge.