NAS

Usually when you visit BestStuff.com, you'll find us reporting on the latest and greatest products hitting the marketplace, but sometimes a device is so useful we just have to take a second look at it. That's the case with WD's My Book World Edition II. This network storage device is a dual-drive system, giving you double protection with its two Mirrored RAID 1 drives that automatically (and continuously) maintain a second copy of your data. If one drive ever fails, the system continues to run and your data is safe. Talk about peace of mind!

Available in either 2 TB or 4 TB capacities, the My Book World Edition II network storage system has ample storage space for all of your music, photos and videos. Your digital media can even be streamed directly from the My Book World Edition II to your PC, Mac or connected DLNA media player (such as your TV, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or wireless digital picture frame) using the integrated UPnP media server and iTunes Music server software. Files can also be accessed securely from anywhere via the Internet using the free MioNet remote access service. Another handy feature is its capacity gauge, allowing you to see how much space is available on the drive by just glancing at it. Software is also included so you can easily set up data backup for all the PCs on your home network. Read more

D-Link unveiled a new network router this week that has it all - 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity with network attached storage (NAS), USB device-sharing, a digital photo frame, FTP server, and it features D-Link's Green Technology for energy savings.

The D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685 has a 3.2-inch LCD screen that displays digital photos, streamed video, weather forecasts and other streaming Internet content. Frame content is easily managed at www.internetphotoframe.com.

Up to one terabyte of data can be stored on a 2.5-inch SATA drive, thanks to the network attached storage (NAS) feature. The built-in FTP server lets you access to documents, photos, music etc., and two USB ports with SharePort let multiple users wirelessly share USB devices such as printers. It also features Gigabit ports for wire transfers.Read more

NETGEAR today announced NETGEAR Stora, a new network attached storage (NAS) device for home media. With Stora you can centralize photos, music, movies and files and use them on nearly any network device. Easy to use (even for non-technical users), Stora lets you share photos, videos, and files without uploading them to the Internet or transferring them over email. Through www.MyStora.com, you, along with friends you give access, can view media files from an Internet-connected device, such as laptops, PCs and smartphones.

NETGEAR Stora (model MS2110) comes with a 1 TB disk and an extra drive bay that can be used to insert an optional disk for mirroring. Stora is now available for $229. Read more

The first portable HDD is the water-resistant and shock-proof SimpleTOUGH portable USB drive. It will be available in 250, 320, 500GB at $99.99, $119.99, $149.99 respectively. The SimpleTOUGH can survive a 3-meter fall and it features a twistable USB cable that's permanently affixed to the enclosure.

The other HDD is the stylish and colorful SimpleDRIVE Mini that is now shipping in red wine (250GB-$89.99), blue dusk (320GB-$109.99) and carbon fiber black (500GB-$139.99).

The USB/NAS adapter, SimpleNET, will allow up to two USB HDDs to be placed on a network. This is purely a convenience product, not a performance one, as it is only equipped with a 10/100 Ethernet jack. You can pick up the SimpleNET NAS adapter for a MSRP of $79.99.Read more

Synology has just announced its new 2.5-inch 4-bay Disk Station DS409slim. It brings lower power consumption, virtually quiet operations and an extremely small footprint both physically and financially. The 2.5-inch hard drives increase shock tolerance and reduce power consumption, while the DS409slim only consumes 19 watts of power when running 4 2.5-inch HDDS under normal operations.

Specs:

• 4 hot-swappable hard drives
• A 1.2 GHz CPU
• 128MB DDRII RAM
• One Gigabit LAN port
• Two USB2.0 ports
• One eSATA port

The DS409slim supports up to 2 TB with the combination of four 2.5" SATA or SSD hard drives of 500GB each. The physical footprint of the DS409slim remains stylish and compact with the total size being just larger than a 12 oz coffee cup (120 x 105 x 142 mm). The DS409slim is shipping in the U.S. right now.

The SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS will feature an Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) CPU, 1GB DDRII memory and DOM (Disk on Module) architecture. You can store up to four 2.5" HDDs in this NAS, which supports RAID 0/1/5/6/5+hot spare configurations. If you're worried about power consumption, don't. The Pro Turbo NAS only consumes 18W!

The SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS also features a built-in iSCSI target service (max 8 iSCSI devices) with Thin Provisioning, Online RAID Capacity Expansion, Online RAID Level Migration, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, Wake on LAN, automatic policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS and email alert, plus more. Additionally, you can make use of the included "Surveillance Station" (network surveillance) with a maximum of four IP-based cameras for office security monitoring.

Currently, there is no information regarding the release date or price. You can get the full press release here.

[QNAP]