Cloud Engine has shown us the next-generation Pogoplug. The multimedia sharing device uses a new beautiful industrial design that allows it to expand significantly from the first model: it is now possible to connect four USB hard drives to increase the storage capacity to several Terabytes. This great for edgy consumers, but also for independent professionals and small businesses.

The software has also been improved too: Pogoplug can now automatically synchronize files from connected computers. Organizing photos and videos has been simplified as well, and the demo that we've seen was very convincing. Video support has not been forgotten, and Pogoplug 2 is smart enough to convert most video formats (except AVCHD for now) into mp4 for streaming and sharing. The front-end web interface is nice and clean. If you really want to go overboard, it is possible to install several Pogoplugs and create your own cloud.

We know that the devices are on their way right now by plane and boat, so Pogoplugs are scheduled to ship in December. The price? $129

Sharkoon of Germany's SATA hard drive station boasts USB 3.0 connectivity, where the Sharkoon SATA Quickport USB 3.0 aims to ease the passage of cloning, migration and forensic drive analysis in a speedier manner. After all, USB 2.0 drive stations are all the rage these days where such functions are concerned, so seeing USB 3.0 hit the scene is exciting news indeed - who doesn't want a ten-fold increase in performance anyways? Both 2.5" and 3.5" drives are supported for maximum compatibility. Expect the Sharkoon SATA Quickport USB 3.0 to hit the market for approximately $73.

Wink claims that their 16GB flash drive is the smallest on the planet, and check out just how small it is in the comparison image which shows it sitting nicely beside a standard dice. Perhaps, just perhaps, this could be a gamble that pays off, but carrying something that small always lends a risk of one losing all the precious data stored within.

It is Friday the 13th today, and while some of us out there who are worried about running into a whole lot of bad luck, here's some good news - Corsair has announced two new Flash Survivor GT USB flash drives which ought to be able to handle any calamity that comes your way this day. Available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, you get a similar ultra-durable metal housing to make sure your precious data inside remains safe and sound from external shocks and drops, augmented by a molded, shock-dampening collar and EPDM seal that boasts water-resistance to a depth of 200 meters.

LaCie's Network Space 2 is the company's latest NAS and media server designed by the famous Neil Poulton who already has had a hand in a bunch of previous LaCie products. Preloaded with LaCie Network Assistant, the Network Space 2 will enable users to customize the dashboard with a smattering of widgets, giving them the potential to access networks and drive information alongside other vital statistics such as user accounts and drive capacity. You will be able to stream multimedia files to any UPnP/DLNA compliant devices, while iTunes server software allows your machine to play content directly from the drive in lieu of local iTunes libraries. Connectivity options include gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0, where the LaCie Network Space 2 will come with a 1TB capacity in Europe without any word on pricing just yet. Worldwide availability will follow shortly thereafter.

Data Robotics, the company behind Drobo, a cool storage system, has plans to build enterprise storage. To that end, Data Robotics has raised $10M from various investors. If you have not heard of Drobo, it's a multi-hard drive storage system that is mostly self-managed. Users can upgrade easily by inserting a new disk, and drobo will mostly take care of the initialization by itself. Drobo's issue has always been the price, which is a little high ($500), especially when you know you need to buy a Droboshare ($200) accessory to turn it into a network storage device. With consumer demand being so weak, Data Robotics is logically turning to small and medium businesses to find new customers.

The iodd external hard drive from CNS of Korea will not only transport all your precious data and stash it somewhere safe just in case the primary hard drive on your computer fails, but it also enables users to install programs straight from the iodd as long as the file comes in ISO format, doing away with the need for external DVD drives. Guess netbook owners will find this handy instead of toting around another peripheral to get their programs on discs installed.

Intel has made sure that their 34nm X25-M Gen 2 SSD will perform better than ever thanks to the new SSD Toolbox that will include an SSD Optimizer which allows users to monitor and manage the SSD's health more effectively. Apart from that, the 160GB model will be able to experience a performance boost to sequential write speeds of up to 100MB/sec - that's a cool 40% faster compared to what you're getting from existing firmware.

Kingston underlines their flash storage pedigree by revealing the latest device, the SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive. This highly affordable 40GB SSD is meant for your operating system and other key applications to reside on instead of its traditional role as a storage platform. The whole point behind this would be to boost your machine's overall performance since it is able to touch read and write speeds of 170MB/s and 40MB/s, respectively. The Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive retails for $115 while those who want the drive alongside a 3.5" mounting bracket and extenders will have to fork out $130. [Press Release]

pureSilicon has released its latest SSD in the form of the Renegade R2, where it is one tough puppy by meeting MIL-STD-810F standards while boasting 255 MB/s read performance and 180 MB/s write performance which ought to satisfy even the most hardcore of performance buffs. Features include improved IOPS alongside its proprietary SiPher data security technology that makes sure only authorized persons are able to access data within. Depending on your budget, you can choose from 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities. Shipping commences in Q1 2010.

Brinell of Germany has rolled out its collection of external hard drives that look anything but that. This is made possible thanks to a really updated design on its exterior that makes one want to purchase one of these almost immediately in order to spruce up the desktop. Made from a variety of high quality materials including stainless steel, exotic wood, nappa leather or carbon, these drives will come in varying capacities of up to 500GB. Depending on the storage space available, the Brinell line will retail anywhere from $284 to $344 where it will be accompanied by a 1-year warranty.

Teradata recently previewed their concept appliance known as Blurr to its partners, where this device will be based on SSD technology that ought to see it hit a whopping 55,000 IOPS (Input/Outputs per Second) per SSD by getting around traditional bottlenecks, capable of multiplying it up to four million IOPS per rack. Apart from that, Teradata is proud to announce that these are actual, measured IOPS and not just theoretical ones. Green heads will find the Blurr to be their cup of tea as well since it is 50% more energy efficient compared to similar capacity data warehouses that use traditional hard drives.

Dane-Elec has just announced its new range of So SuperSpeed hard drives and SSDs which will play nice with the soon-to-come USB 3.0 standard. These drives are capable of hitting a phenomenal speed of 250MBps which is around ten times the rate of USB 2.0 connectivity, where you can choose from capacities ranging from 500GB to 2TB for the hard drive while the SSDs will come in 80GB and 160GB capacities. Expect to see the So SuperSpeed drives hit the market this December 11th, with the 500GB hard drive going for $180 while the SSDs are going for $400 and $800 for the 80GB and 160GB capacities, respectively.

Iomega further expands their collection of NAS devices with the StorCenter ix2-200 NAS, where this dual-bay NAS server can be set up in RAID 1 configuration for additional data protection. Unfortunately, it still retains its predecessor's main gripe - slotting in a new hard drive is trickier than you can imagine since it will take a fair bit of screwdriving to get it done, translating to it being not hot-swappable. Apart from that, it will also miss out on an eSATA port for external storage. On the bright side, the Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 NAS does feature Bluetooth connectivity, a trio of USB 2.0 ports alongside a wide range of network storage features. Iomega specially designed this to be eco-minded, consuming less juice compared to its predecessors. You can pick up the 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models for $270, $370 and $670, respectively.