Midmarket: Why E-Readers, MP3 Players and Other Single-Purpose Devices Are Endangered Species

Throughout the history of technology, there have been devices that have revolutionized how people used technology by providing a unique capability. But when these devices only do one thing, no matter how well they do it, their lifespan is often short. This is usually because their core functionality quickly becomes a feature of devices that are more popular and can do more than just one thing. Looking back, it's easy to see this in action, from devices that were once ubiquitous and are now extinct to current product categories that are on their way out to new, exciting devices that are destined to become a feature checklist of next-generation smartphones. So take a look at this list of the dismal past, sad present and unpromising future of single-purpose devices.

Cloud Engines Offers Updated Pogoplug Media Sharing Device

The candy-colored Pogoplug media sharing device allows users to access media files from other computers or even the Apple iPhone.
Storage specialist Cloud Engines announced the release of the latest version of Pogoplug, a box-shaped device that connects up to four external hard drives to the Internet and allows users to access and share content (files, music, photos, and video) from a Web browser or enabled mobile device without a monthly fee. The company is currently taking pre-orders for the device, which carries a suggested retail price of $129, with the aim of shipping before the holidays

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from a user’s home or office through the Internet and allows consumers to access, share and stream personal digital media. The content always remains physically in your home or office. The latest version of Pogoplug also offers users improved sharing capabilities, such as an easy drag-and-drop interface to create multimedia slide shows, seamless media playback and enhanced sharing with contacts on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Users can synchronize the Pogoplug with PC or Mac computers to automatically import new content from applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto, and automatically remembers all e-mail addresses entered in a user’s previous shares, even if that share no longer exists. In addition, Pogoplug has added "global" search support across all of a user’s Pogoplugs and drives. The company noted search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view files in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Finally, the device now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for many well-known cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Updated funcationality allows movies to be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug Website, as well as from Apple’s iPhone smartphone. Cloud Engines also noted the Pogoplug offers fully encrypted access to a user’s files through the HTTPS protocol and removing any or all of the content from access simply requires unplugging the Pogoplug, the drive or deleting the file off the drive.

Cloud Engines CEO Daniel Putterman said the company is committed to giving their customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, as well as pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. “The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product road map, we are bringing a great second-generation product that gives our customers access to a host of new features that both improve the function of the Pogoplug, and add to the fun of using it as well,” he said. “The result is what you see here today.”

Paragon Software Releases Backup and Recovery Solution

Paragon releases a solution for backup and recovery and a system upgrade utilities product designed to help cost-conscious businesses migrate to Windows

Data security and management solutions company Paragon Software Group announced the release of their latest disaster recovery, system migration and virtualization software program, Backup & Recovery 10 Suite. The solution mirrors the characteristics of Paragon’s Drive Backup Professional product line with a minimalist ‘set and forget’ policy found in Paragon’s System Backup. The Suite offers recovery environments in Windows Native Mode, WinPE, Linux and DOS, provides virtualization support and includes support for Windows 7. Paragon Backup & Recovery 10 Suite is available for $69.95.

The Virtualization Manager is a tool to help users migrate their system and data to a virtual environment and it also allows a crippled system previously transferred to virtual hardware by a third party tool to be 100 percent bootable. Other features include encryption and password protection for backups to help guarantee security for confidential data, boot corrector to repair damage resulting from human error or virus activity and selective restore, which allows users to extract single or multiple files from a backup image using the software’s restore wizard.

“Paragon Backup & Recovery 10 Suite is the complete solution for even the most demanding home user and home office user,” said company CEO Konstantin Komarov. “It has a higher level of functionality and flexibility than any other competitive product at a similar, or even higher, price on the market

The company also announced the release of System Upgrade Utilities 2010, designed for streamlined migration from Windows XP or Vista to the new Windows 7 while still allowing the user to keep their old system. A built-in backup feature helps guarantee that, in the case of a system failure, the old system can be restored. Creating a recovery CD helps the user to minimize the consequences of a system crash or malfunction, as the recovery CD can be used to boot an otherwise unbootable system.

Establishing a dual boot system is possible on both existing and new hardware. To set up a dual boot system, the software creates a new partition for the installation and use of Windows 7. Thus, the user can keep their Windows XP or Vista environment. The Windows 7 Set Up Wizard takes the user through the stages and performs all partitioning operations necessary. With two partitions, both operating systems are equally accessible; a boot manager offers the user a choice for which operating system to load, each time the PC is turned on. Once having made a permanent selection between the old and new system, Paragon System Upgrade Utilities 2010 helps the user to uninstall the boot manager and one of the systems, and repartition their hard drive to reclaim the additional free memory/disk space.

Komarov said enabling the end user to keep up-to-date all the time is easy with Paragon System Utilities 2010, which helps them evaluate Windows 7 in detail and at their leisure. “Reliable Paragon technologies offer two possible methods for testing Windows 7,” he said. “Users can set up a dual boot system or migrate their current operating system to a virtual environment.