This news bits includes a number of new network-attached storage (NAS) products; Plextor announced a four-bay 8TB model; QNAP introduced two new desktop-style NAS servers and additionally three new rack-mounted NAS servers; lastly, Western Digital added a number of software features to its WD TV Live family of products.
Plextor Announces 8TB NAS Device
Plextor has announced its new four-bay network-attached storage (NAS) device, the PX-NAS4. It features dual Gigabit LAN ports for up to 2Gbps bandwidth. It can accommodate up to 8TB of storage via four 2TB drives; the storage capacity can be expanded via the build-in USB and eSATA ports.
Data is stored on the PX-NAS4 using 256-bit AES encryption. The device can be configured in multiple disk configurations: JBOD, RAID 0/1/5/10 with a hot spare bay (RAID 1/5 only). The PX-NAS4 is Energy Star-complaint; it consumes 25 watts of power in standby and 58 watts in full access mode.
The Plextor PX-NAS4 is available now starting at $399.99.
QNAP Intros New Mid-Range Business NAS Servers
QNAP has announced a refresh of its mid-range business NAS lineup with new 2- and 4-drive desktop models, the TS-239 Pro II+ and TS-439 Pro II+. These Turbo NAS servers feature an Intel Atom D425 1.8GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.
The new models offer up to a maximum of 8TB of storage (4x 2TB drives); both 2.5- and 3.5-inch drives are supported. They are compatible with VMware, Citrix, and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V clusters virtualization platform. They support various RAID levels and come pre-loaded with v3.3 of QNAP’s NAS management software.
The TS-239 Pro II+ and the TS-439 Pro II+ will be available this month; pricing information has not been announced.
TS-239 Pro II+ Product Page
TS-439 Pro II+ Product Page
QNAP Intros New Rack-Mounted Business NAS Servers
Hot on the heels of other recent announcements, QNAP has introduced three new models into its rack-mounted Turbo NAS business server lineup. The new 4- and 8-drive models feature the Intel Atom D525 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and available redundant power supplies.
The rack-mounted Turbo NAS servers are designed for corporate and entry-level enterprise customers. The announced models include the 4-drive TS-459U-RP+ and the TS-459U-SP+ with up to 8TB of storage and the 8-drive TS-859U-RP+ with up to 16TB of storage (using 2TB drives).
The TS-459U-RP+ and TS-859U-RP+ include redundant power supplies; the TS-459U-SP+ has a single-power supply but is otherwise identical to the TS-459U-RP+; it can easily be upgraded with an additional power supply.
The TS-x59U-RP+/SP+ models are fully VMware and Citrix ready and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V clusters complaint. 256-bit AES volume-level encryption is built-in. They support 2.5- and 3.5-inch hard drives with RAID 0/1/5/6/5+ hot spare and 6+ hot spare (TS-859U-RP+ only).
The TS-x59U-RP+ series will be available this month; pricing information has not been announced.
TS-459U-RP+, TS-459U-SP+ Product Page
TS-859U-RP+ Product Page
WD Adds New Features to WD TV Live
Western Digital has added new features to its WD TV media player family, WD TV Live, and WD TV Live Plus products. The features include Facebook connectivity, allowing users to upload photos, videos, share their status and view their wall; Blockbuster on Demand for viewing new movies on the same day they are released; and the following:
- Deezer: a personalized on-demand music service for listening to up to 7 million tracks anytime
- Flingo: free Internet TV from leading studios, TV networks, and video websites
- AccuWeather.com: worldwide weather forecasting service
WD also added USB wireless keyboard support.
The WD TV Live media player is available worldwide while the WD TV Live Plus media player is available in the U.S. and Canada only; it has an MSRP of $129.99.
Read our review of the WD TV Live
WD TV Live Product Page
