And a refresh this certainly is, as this is the same product, but with audio output. Specifically, audio output in 3.5mm analogue and embedded HDMI. The $US219 piece of kit is also compatible with both Windows Vista and Windows 7. [Engadget]

So yeah, if you’re been chomping at the bit to get HD quality resolutions delivered to your monitor via a USB connection, this may be the adaptor for you. Comes in a kind of periwinkle blue hue for $US99. [Sewell via Engadget]

Brando calls it the USB Whirl Wind Warmer Cup and it’s all too lovely. It keeps your beverage at a comfortable 40C and stirs everything up at the push of a button. You can recharge the cup’s batteries using either an AC outlet or a USB port, so there’s no reason to be left without stirring power.

It’s $US37, and it may be my coffee cravings talking, but somehow that doesn’t seem too bad considering how much all my lost spoons add up to. [Brando via Red Ferret]

Aside from automatically syncing content with a Mac or PC, you can share and watch movies, listen to music or view photos directly through the Pogoplug website and even on an iPhone. Since we looked at the original version, Pogoplug has apparently made some upgrades to add a drag-and-drop interface and sharing over social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. But as we mentioned back then, while this is a great interface and solution, you are going to be relying on the company staying in business in order to be able to share data.

That one downside or not, the Pogoplug still remains a far quicker solution that setting up a separate Windows Server or similar, so if you’re not put off by the $US30 price increase since the original, you can pre-order now.

Second Generation Pogoplug™ Unveiled Today
Next-generation Hardware Design and Software Provide Enhanced Storage, Multimedia and Social Media Capabilities

San Francisco, Calif. – November 20, 2009 – Cloud Engines, Inc. unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from your home or office through the Internet. It allows you to access, share and even stream your personal digital media directly to anybody, anywhere in the world. Your content always remains physically in your home or office, making it secure, convenient and available on your terms. Pogoplug is perfect for those individuals with increasingly mobile lifestyles and small businesses in need of simple, inexpensive mobile data access solutions.

“The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product roadmap, 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.” said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. “We are committed to giving our customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. The result is what you see here today.”

NEW HARDWARE
The new Pogoplug design retains the simplicity and ease of use of the original while listening to consumer feedback and adding the ability to directly connect up to 4 external hard drives at once. The resulting product boasts an improved design with greatly improved functionality for users with multiple drives and an increasing need for easy synching and sharing of their digital libraries. This upgrade turns the Pogoplug into an even more prominent feature in the modern digital home or small business.

NEW FEATURES

Automatically synchronise Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronise their Pogoplug with their PC or Mac to automatically import new content from popular applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. This feature allows Pogoplug owners to “set it and forget it” and always have access to new photos, videos and music from anywhere on the Internet.

Drag-and-Drop Music and Photo Slideshows
Users can easily create and share fun and engaging slideshows using their stored photos, videos and music. Creating a slideshow with Pogoplug is as simple as drag and drop, and sharing these slideshows is just as easy as ever. Once a user’s link is shared and viewed, their slideshow will immediately begin with the photos, videos and music they selected, playing seamlessly in the viewer’s browser.

Easier Sharing with Pogoplug Address Book
Pogoplug Address Book greatly improves the speed and ease of use of sharing with a user’s friends and family. Pogoplug automatically remembers all email addresses entered in a user’s previous shares – even if that share no longer exists – and makes them available in an easy to use address book to make sharing truly one click away.

Global Search Across Multiple Drives and Pogoplugs
With support for multiple drives on a single Pogoplug (and multiple Pogoplugs on the same account) Pogoplug has added “global” search support across all of a user’s Pogoplugs and drives. Search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view all of their photos, videos and music in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Organize Your Music, Photos and Videos
Pogoplug automatically displays music by Album, Artist and Genre, and shows cover art for quick access to a user’s favourite music. Photos are now displayed by photo timeline and videos are only a click away, including the ability to watch a preview in the thumbnail itself.

Play movies directly from my.pogoplug.com, or even to the iPhone
Pogoplug now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for the most popular cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Movies can be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug website – or even from an iPhone!

Pricing and Availability
We are currently taking Pre-Orders for Pogoplug at www.pogoplug.com Units will ship before the end of the year – just in time for the Holiday Season. The Pogoplug has a suggested retail price of $US129, with no additional service fees.

[Pogoplug]

Too bad they can only play German folk music and tangos. [Santa Fe via Likecool]

Imation argues that, by providing a one-to-one connection over the air, the Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive “limits the possibility of signal interception”. That’s a pretty vague claim to me. They also argue that it works like any other USB drive, although it only transfers data at 15 megabytes per second. But even while you don’t have to connect with a cable, you have to plug in a USB key. So why not just leave a regular drive on the desk and plug the cable for a better rate? And if you want wireless, why not get a drive that is Wi-Fi enabled?

The only good argument is simplicity: You don’t need to connect to a server using the network, the drive just pops up in your desktop. But then again, connecting to a networked drive is not that difficult. Certainly, not difficult enough to pay the $US500 that this 1.5TB drive costs. [Press Release]

[Brando]

[ActiveMP via jkOnTheRun]

“The mPower Reserve Battery offers an unprecedented minimum shelf life of 20 years and has an immediate activation to full power. Through an intricate battery design, mPhase developed a way to eliminate power dissipation before initial activation.”

The torch uses an intense, high-performance LED, and has an accessory USB connection to charge your mobile devices. It’s slated to arrive in March, but we hope to get a better look at it at CES in January. [CNETand Yahoo News]