At the suggested retail price of $129, the PogoPlug offers a lot of bang for the buck.

Here’s the full press release, for your enjoyment:

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 Synchronize Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronize 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 favorite 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 $129, with no additional service fees.

USEFUL LINKS

• Pogoplug web site: www.pogoplug.com
• Product photos: www.flickr.com/photos/pogoplug
• Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/pogoplug
• Pogoplug online community: www.pogoplugged.com

ABOUT THE POGOPLUG
The Pogoplug is a device that connects up to 4 external hard drives to the Internet. It is designed for consumers who have an external hard drive and have high speed Internet. Consumers can securely access and share all of their content [Files, Photos, and Video] from any Web browser or enabled mobile device with no additional monthly fees. Free your inner drive.

ABOUT CLOUD ENGINES, INC.
Founded in 2007 by experienced entrepreneurs from the digital media and security industries, Cloud Engines is located in San Francisco, California. The company was formed with a mission to change the way personal content is stored and distributed over the Internet. The Cloud Engines philosophy is that by making a product simple, open and affordable, the community will participate in making it better. For more information, please visit our Web site, www.cloudengines.com.

The Thecus N0204 will use either HDD or SSD drives, with a maximum capacity of 1TB. Due to the fact that the NAS only has two bays, you are of course restricted to RAID 0, 1, or JBOD. The best part? The price. The Thecus N0204 retails for just $150; you’ll have to provide your own drives, though.

The Thecus also functions as a print server, which could be handy. It’s compatible with both Mac and PC networks and will work with Wi-Fi orGigabit LAN via the ethernet connection on the back of the unit.

[via Legit Reviews]

Simply download this app package and drag your drive onto it. The script adds the drive as a Time Machine capable device and then you can simply add it under Time Machine System Preferences.

The full script is right here if you want to roll your own:

on open names
set volumeName to names as text
set macAddress to (do shell script "ifconfig en0 | grep ether | tr -d '\\011' | sed s/ether// | sed 's/ //g' | sed s/://g")
set hostName to (do shell script "hostname -fs")
tell application "Finder"
set theSize to round (((capacity of startup disk) / 1024 / 1024) / 1024)
end tell

end open

via MacOSXHints

The ix2-200 is available now from your favorite e-tailer, and prices vary based on storage size. The 1TB version is priced at $269.99, the 2TB version is at $369.99, and the price goes up for there.

From the press release:

SAN DIEGO, October 8, 2009 – Iomega, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC) and a global leader in data protection, today announced the next generation of its popular double-drive desktop NAS appliance with the worldwide launch of the new Iomega® StorCenter™ ix2-200. Based on industry-leading enterprise-class EMC® storage technologies, the versatile yet affordable StorCenter ix2-200 wraps ease-of-use around big business data management functionality and advanced media serving and other consumer features that make it the ideal NAS appliance for small business users and home users.

Available in 1TB*, 2TB and 4TB capacities, the new ix2-200 utilizes a very simple four-step setup to be operational in a matter of minutes – be it in a business setting or in the digital home.

Starting at less than $270.00, the ix2-200 employs an easy-to-understand interface to provide robust data management and protection for the serious business user, as well as the latest in multimedia serving and remote access features that makes it a breeze to access your own data, whether in the office, the home, or anywhere else in the world.**

Among the standout business features of the new StorCenter ix2-200:
· Device-to-device replication for business continuity and file recovery
· iSCSI block-level access for efficient storage utilization
· RAID 1 configurations for optimized data protection
· Windows® Active Directory support
· A new front panel QuikTransfer button for easy copying of selected files
· User replaceable hard drives
· Multiple IP security camera support
· And for the forward-thinking small business, VMware® certification for virtualization installations.

The new StorCenter ix2-200 also has a treasure trove of features for the digital home, including:

· A DLNA® certified UPnP® AV Media Server that makes the ix2-200 the central repository for serving up all your movies, pictures, music and other files to any compatible device on your network
· Serves as a Time Machine® target for Apple® computer backups
· Built-in torrent support for file-sharing without the need for a dedicated PC
· Bluetooth® capability for uploading all kinds of digital content from a smart phone
· Cooliris™ slide show plug-in allows for easy photo viewing
· And remote access to the ix2-200 from anywhere in the world

“The new StorCenter ix2-200 is definitely the easiest to use small office and consumer network storage appliance in the marketplace today,” said Jonathan Huberman, president of Iomega and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC. “Combining EMC’s world class enterprise storage and security technologies with advanced media serving features makes the ix2-200 a versatile and affordable NAS appliance that gives smaller organizations, work groups and home users not only cost-effective and robust network storage but some of the same sophisticated data management capabilities as a Fortune 100 corporation – but without any need for IT experience.”

The new Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 NAS appliance is now available in the Americas and Europe from retailers, VARs and IT resellers, including valued Iomega partner CDW.

“When it comes to managing and protecting digital content, small businesses today face many of the same challenges as much larger organizations,” said Matt Troka, vice president, Product & Partner Management, CDW Corporation. “Iomega’s new StorCenter ix2-200 delivers cost-effective network storage with advanced enterprise features at extremely affordable prices. For the budget conscious small business with a need for dependable network storage that is easy to setup and maintain without any internal IT expertise, the compact StorCenter ix2-200 offers a great value proposition, which makes it a viable data storage and back-up solution for our customers.”

The Little Compact Desktop NAS Appliance with Lots of Capabilities

The new StorCenter ix2-200 NAS desktop appliance utilizes the acclaimed EMC LifeLine™ software, a fully-developed Linux operating environment and suite of applications that is designed for cross-platform support with Windows®, Mac® and Linux computers.

The LifeLine operating system presents a simple-to-use graphical interface that makes it easy to perform valuable business tasks while remaining confident that your data is securely stored, protected, and accessible whenever and wherever you need it.

Small office users will enjoy the ix2-200’s fast Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and high-performance embedded architecture, which boosts productivity by making data readily accessible and secure over a local network at the office or in the home. The ix2-200 also boasts the versatility of three USB 2.0 ports for adding printers or additional storage capacity with external USB drives.

Netgear’s got a new home network hard drive system called Stora. It’s a $229 NAS system with a 1TB SATA hard drive built in and a second open SATA slot, allowing you to easily add a second drive in the future (that second drive can be set up to mirror the first).

Files can be shared and accessed by various devices across your home network thanks to UPnP compatibility and a web interface (MyStora.com) lets you share files with friends and family as well as retrieve files yourself remotely.

There’s also Facebook, Flickr, iTunes and mobile features, although mobile and Flickr access costs $20 per year. According to the press release:

Stora enables consumers to easily centralize photos, music, movies and files and use them on nearly any network device. With a smooth user interface designed for non-technical users, Stora lets consumers easily share their photos and videos with friends without the time-consuming process of uploading them to Internet sites or transferring them over email. Through an intuitive and graphical user interface on www.MyStora.com, users and their designated friends and relatives can remotely access their media files from any Internet-connected device, such as laptops, PCs and smartphones.

More info is available at Netgear’s website and the Stora is apparently available for purchase now, although the “Buy Now” link on the website is currently going to a broken page.

MS2110- Stora [Netgear.com]

The N2R1 (what a name eh?) is coming out later this year, and features two drive bays, a DVD player/writer, a memory card reader, and most interestingly, a wi-fi connection built in. Unfortunately, LG decided to go with the slower 802.11g protocol, instead of the faster 802.11n, but most users won’t really notice the difference. Priced at $299 for 1 TB, and $399 for 2 TB, it’s looking like a good deal for a nice bit of hardware. LG also states that it is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Macintosh.

From the press release:

ATLANTA, Sept. 10, 2009 – LG Electronics introduced a new Network Attached Storage option for consumers looking to protect their multimedia entertainment files, this week at Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) EXPO 2009 (Booth #2623).

To help safeguard treasured family memories, photos and music, LG’s Network Attached Storage (NAS) model N2R1 uses a proven system of multiple hard drives used for sharing and replicating data to prevent possible damage or loss. Called RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Discs), this system automatically backs up and restores files for added security in the event of a hardware failure.

With up to two Tera-bytes (TB) of storage, the N2R1 provides a wealth of storage capabilities, allowing consumers to continue building their digital libraries of music, movies and other multimedia files. For an enhanced level of convenience, the N2R1 includes a DVD Re-Writer and Playback feature for additional back up or file sharing options.

“Consumers continue to create digital memories, from photos to family videos and it’s important that these irreplaceable moments are saved in a secure place,” said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing, LG Electronics USA, Inc. “With LG’s Network Attached Storage, consumers now have a virtual ‘Library on Command’ that allows them unlimited access to their favorite memories, whether at home or on the road.”

Connectivity and Compatibility

For consumers who cannot be tied down by wires, the N2R1 has integrated WiFi connectivity for easy connection to any 802.11g wireless home network. The MyMedia feature allows consumers access to videos, photos and music through a DLNA-certified media player, placing digital entertainment libraries within easy reach of the big-screen. For music aficionados, the N2R1 also has iTunes™ connectivity for a networked music option.

The Network Attached Storage is compatible with a variety of operating systems such as Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems, allowing for installation in any home entertainment environment. It also provides remote support with easy access to files from anywhere an Internet connection is available, allowing consumers to show off their favorite pictures or movies even when they are away from home.

The N2R1 will be available online and at national retailers early this Fall for the manufacturers suggested retail price of $299 for 1TB of storage and $399 for 2TB of storage.

LaCie has a rather nice selection of NAS units to choose from, but the latest should get some attention from Mac users. Both the Big Disk Network (left) and the d2 Network (right) sport the classic LaCie design, which is obviously inspired by H.A.L 9000, and are compatible with Apple’s Time Machine.

Not only that, the d2 Network comes with up to 1.5TB of storage for $299 and supports eSATA and USB for further expansion. The Big Disk can RAID together up drives and start out at $380. Both drives can also stream media to any UPnP device. With all these NAS system now available, there isn’t a good excuse for not owning one besides, well, not having a job.

Quick version

Without a doubt, the 1TB Western Digital My Book World Edition is the easiest to use NAS I’ve ever tried. There’s virtually no setup, it’s remotely accessible and works flawlessly on both PCs and Macs.

Features (In my opinion)

• Easy to setup – Both Macs and PCs will recognize the drive on the network within minutes of powering it on.
• Remote access – With WD’s Mionet remote access system you can pull content off your drive from anywhere in the world.
• USB 2.0 port – Plug in any USB drive to instantly expand your network drive and share information. FireWire would have been nice, too.
• Media Server – store and stream content from a central location to your Xbox 360, PS3 or DLNA device.
• Unobtrusive – compared to the Iomega StorCenter ix2, the MBWE is much, much quieter and looks better.

Setup

Step 1. Connect MBWE to your home/office router.
Step 2. Power on the MBWE.
Step 3. Unload all your media onto the MBWE.
Step 4. Enjoy.

It really is that easy if you’re on a Vista or Leopard/Tiger machine. I don’t have anything running XP at home or the office, but WD provides software to make it easy for you folks too.

Performance

The MBWE claims to have best-in-class performance with its eco-friendly 7200RPM GreenPower drive, which claims to be environmentally friendly, but it’s always on. I moved a 350MB file from my laptop to the network drive wirelessly (802.11b/g) that took a little over two minutes. I then transferred 1.65GB worth of RAW images and that took about 13 minutes. If you’re planning on moving your entire movie collection over then it’s going to take quite bit of time, so start early in the evening and let it run wild while you sleep.

Extra

I don’t like backing up because the initial setup takes more time than I’m willing to devote, but WD’s packaged Anywhere Backup software is painless. After the initial setup, everything gets backed up instantaneously. If something accidentally gets deleted, you can easily go back and restore through the Anywhere Backup software. Easy peasy!

Oh, the white light on the front of the MBWE acts as a capacity gauge among other duties.

Questionable

Where the MBWE struggles, however, is its web-based interface. That’s not to say it’s horrible – it’s actually well laid out and easy to navigate, but enabling and disabling folder accessibility isn’t very easy to do. Unlike the Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive that Doug reviewed a couple months ago – where you just flip the toggle switch between “everyone” and “secure.”

But if this is just going to serve as a media hub at home then it’s nothing to really worry about. If it’s going into the office then you’re going to want to sit down with the manual and tinker with the web portal.

Conclusion

Western Digital’s My Book World Edition creates an instant hub of entertainment at home or a centralized depot of information for the office within seconds of powering on that also makes backing up painless and easy. If you’re looking for something that’s easy to use and relatively affordable for the size then look no further. But if you’re looking for something that’s RAID-1-able then opt for the 2TB version.

MSRP: $230 for the 1TB model, $450 for the 2TB model.

Product Page

The PogoPlug itself is the size of a large wall-wart AC adapter. It’s hefty, but not overly heavy. It seems well constructed.

Set up is so easy that the PogoPlug marketing team issued a small challenge: can you finish installing the PogoPlug before you could pop a bag of microwave popcorn? They even included a bag of microwave popcorn. The answer? Yes, you absolutely can install and configure the PogoPlug before that sweet buttery goodness is ready for consumption. You plug in the PogoPlug, connect it to your router and some USB media. Then from your desktop or laptop computer you visit https://my.pogoplug.com/ (bonus points to them for offering an HTTPS connection for login!). Create your account by entering your email and selecting a password. Then type in the 25 character unique identifier for your PogoPlug, found on a sticker on the device itself. That’s it. You’re done.

I was able to key in the 25 character ID, but I did find it somewhat tedious. Why couldn’t they just use the MAC address of the Ethernet card as the unique identifier? That’d save some typing, and further speed up the installation and registration process.

You can access your PogoPlug exclusively through the my.pogoplug.com website, which makes this thing super easy to use. Within seconds I had created a couple of folders on the media I had attached to it.

Primary controls are at the bottom of the screen. You can select from several list styles, upload new files, create new directories, copy files around on the device, and define sharing options for selected media. You can only share on a per-directory basis, so keep that in mind as you organize your content for sharing with others.

File and folder actions become available when you simply mouse over the item:

There are only four options: download, share, rename and delete. Those four are usually all you’ll need.

Click the Share button and you’re presented with a dialog box in which you supply someone’s email address:

The email address(es) with which you share items will all be mailed a simple link. All the recipients need to do is click the link to access the shared items. No fussing around with accounts, passwords, or access codes. They can bookmark the link for future use. You can elect whether to grant the user upload privileges, or whether they should have read-only access.

Another nifty feature is the creation of an RSS feed for the items you’re sharing. What good is this, you ask? Make a folder for digital photos, share the folder, create an RSS feed for it, and then point the digital photo frame at grandma’s house to the RSS feed. Instant updates for all the new photos you take.

Windows and Mac users can download client software to make their PogoPlug look like a mapped drive within their system. I didn’t try this — remember, I’m a Linux user! — but it sounds like a nice offering to round out the features of the device. There’s also an iPhone application available, so that you can access your PogoPlug’s contents from your phone. That’s a neat feature, and I hope other NAS manufacturers follow suit.

There aren’t a lot of controls to twiddle, as the PogoPlug is really going for ease-of-use. In fact, the “Settings” page only lets you change your email address, screen name and password, and to register additional PogoPlugs. The last is nice: you can manage multiple PogoPlugs from a single account (one for you, one for mom and dad’s house, maybe). The PogoPlug works seamlessly through any home firewall or router configuration, and doesn’t require you to open ports, forward traffic, or in any way modify your configuration.

Complaints: I’ve got a few minor complaints about the PogoPlug. First, all traffic gets routed through the PogoPlug website. Yes, that’s how they get away with making this thing so bloody easy to use, but it also means that all of my use of my device passes through their system. I’m glad there’s no subscription to the PogoPlug service, but all the same I’d rather not have them involved when I’m using my device. Who knows what sorts of monitoring they may be performing? Also, what’ll happen to my PogoPlug should the company close its doors?

My other beef is that NAS appliances like this sit in a really weird space in terms of network functionality. For a little bit more money (and a moderate amount of time and energy), I can set up a full-blown server, with dedicated user accounts and more featureful services for various things: web server, FTP, dedicated BitTorrent client, Subversion repository, and more. Heck, just about anyone could configure a Mac Mini or small Windows machine, and use SCP or FTP to transfer files to and from the unit. As a bonus, such a system could run Boxee and be an all-in-one media server, rather than just a file server.

You could use the PogoPlug as a backup device, copying important files from your desktops and/or laptops to it, but I don’t see a lot of people doing this (although the client software for Windows and Mac may make this a more viable option than I give it credit for).

Bottom Line: for a C-note, the PogoPlug is a pretty good option for a no-fuss Internet-connected NAS. You could easily get mom or dad to send and receive files via a PogoPlug. It’s no replacement for a full blown server for the die-hard geeks, but the ease of use and diminutive form factor make this a strong contender for the casual user.

Each device can be configured into a RAID style setup, which provides additional data security, however it does reduce the available space on the NAS. The device also provides for customizable backup solutions, including individual user accounts and password protection.

Available in May 2009, the devices will be available at your favorite retailer starting at $799 for the 2TB version.

Short Version: A good value for a NAS drive thanks to nice extras like a built-in print server, easy setup, and a straightforward interface. The Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive would be right at home in a small office or a multi-user household.

Features (according to Iomega):

• Simple to use—Three step set-up – simply plug into your router, power on, and install the software CD. Friendly web screens for easy management.
• Sharing—Access files from any networked Windows PC or Apple computer for easy file sharing.
• High Performance—Gigabit Ethernet connectivity combined with a high performance processor.
• UPnP AV Media Server—Compatible with DLNA certified media players, able to stream photos, audio content and videos to a variety of media devices like game consoles, audio bridges, DMAs (digital media adapters), picture frames and more.
• iTunes™ Server—Store your audio content in one central location and share it across your iTunes players.
• Network File Protocols Supported—CIFS/SMB (Microsoft), AFP (Apple), HTTP 1.1
• Expandability—Add storage capacity by connecting external USB Hard Disk Drives. Supports FAT32 and NTFS formatted hard drives.
• Network Discovery—Automatic network discovery by Apple Bonjour and Microsoft Windows Rally devices.
• Data Protection—Touch-free professional-level backup for all your critical data with EMC® Retrospect HD backup software. Effortlessly back up files on a pre-set schedule.
• Print Server—Intelligent network print sharing capability for one USB printer directly attached to the HomeMedia drive

MSRP: $159.99 for the 500GB version, $229.99 for the 1TB version

Setting up and using the drive

Believe it or not, this NAS drive is ridiculously easy to set up. You power up the drive, plug it into your router, and install the software on your computer. When the installation’s all done, a window pops open with five default drives: Music, Movies, Backups, Public, and Photos.

They’re all accessible using Iomega’s interface or as separate networked hard drives inside your operating system. Notice that, again, they appear as five distinct drives.

There’s a pretty straightforward web-based interface for creating new drives and tweaking various settings. As you can see, I created some extra essential drive-spaces: Bucketlist, Dreams, Enemies, Fashion, Hopes, Hotpants, Raffle, and Recipes.

Unfortunately, I meant for “Raffles” to be “ROFLs” – a place to store hilarious jokes and whatnot but I wasn’t able to easily change the name from Raffles to ROFLs, so I just deleted it and made a new drive. Also, each drive name has to be all one word without any spaces. I would have liked to have “Bucket List” and “Hot Pants” but, alas, t’was not allowed. Any new drives that you create will appear as network drives in your operating system as well.

Once everything is set up, you can add users and dole out various levels of access, or just keep everything open to everyone. This drive would work really well in a small office or in a family where the parents are into some weird voodoo that they don’t want their kids to see.

Nice extras

The drive comes with EMC Retrospect, which is automated backup software. It’s easy to use and lets you set a schedule for backing up important files. The getup also comes with 2GB of free Mozy online backup service. You can get 2GB free from Mozy no matter who you are or what drives you own, though, so it’s mostly just a little extra fluff.

From a hardware standpoint, there’s a USB port on the back of the drive that can be used to hook up a second external hard drive or as a print server. That’s a great little feature that I think adds a fair amount of value to this thing. You can just place your printer and your backup drive next to your router and be done with it.

The drive also works seamlessly with iTunes, Xbox 360, PS3, and various other network-enabled devices. My Xbox 360 picked the Iomega up as a networked hard drive and streamed an HD movie file (Ethernet to Ethernet) with ease.

Noise and heat

The drive doesn’t get too hot thanks to a built-in fan, but it’s that same fan that emanates a dull whine all the live-long day. I had this drive sitting right next to me on my desk and I’d have to turn the whole thing off after about an hour. It’s not loud, so it’s possible that the noise could easily be drowned out if you work around other people or listen to music all day but I prefer to work with as few distractions as possible, so I could definitely hear the drive. If I were to use this drive as my own, it’d be in a drawer or on the other side of the room for sure.

Here’s an audio file: Iomega.mp3

As you can hear, it’s not that bad at all. It’s just that dull whine bobbing up and down every so often that gets agitating after a while.

Transfer speed

The internal drive has a 7,200 spindle speed but most of the bottleneck is going to occur at your router. I transferred a 3.64GB file wirelessly (802.11g) from my laptop to the drive and it took just under a half hour. Naturally, hard-wired speeds will be much faster but keep in mind how you usually access your network and plan accordingly.

Conclusion:

The Iomega Home Media Network Drive is an easy-to-use, affordable solution if you need a backup solution that multiple computers can access. The included print server and user management features make it a great option for any small business or medium-to-large family.

Product Page [Iomega]

Gone is the external power plug, which makes for a very nice form factor. Just stick this thing into the wall, and connect it to an Ethernet cable. This is one of those “well, duh!” moments: why don’t more small home networking appliances work like this?

Gone, too, is the need to set anything up! Rather than require you to open up ports in your firewall, you interact with the PogoPlug through the my.pogoplug.com site. You can access files remotely from any computer — or iPhone! — as well as provide access to others. And soon you’ll be able to hook into other online services for off-site backup, photo printing, and more! Not too bad for $79. Keep the NAS innovations coming!

Via eHomeUpgrage

Having a ton of cool crap on your network storage is useless if you can’t get to it, and that seems to be the main problem Linksys is aiming to tackle with their just announced Media Hub.

Take your standard network storage box – now slap on an LCD screen (in the mid/high-end models) and a fancy browser-based content portal for accessing your goodies whether near nor far, and you’ve got the Linksys Media Hub. Look for it in 3 flavors: $300 for 500GB (NMH305), $350 for 500GB/LCD/6-in-1 card reader (NMH405), and $430 for the fully stocked 1TB/LCD/6-in-1 card reader model (NMH410).

Cisco Simplifies Digital Media Access for Consumers

Linksys by Cisco Media Hub helps consumers enjoy all of their digital photos,
music and video anytime, anywhere

Las Vegas – January 7, 2009 – Cisco® today announced the Linksys by Cisco Media Hub at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Designed to simplify access to and interaction with digital content, the Media Hub gathers, organizes, and presents all the digital video, photos and music that users have spread amongst various devices in the home. With a Media Hub consumers can enjoy all of their media through an easy to use interface that is not only accessible in the home, but throughout the world via a web browser. The Media Hub is the perfect solution for consumers with extensive digital media libraries who are looking to eliminate the complexity of managing their collections.

Facts/Highlights:
Centralized Access to Digital Photos, Music and Videos
Sharing media on multiple devices within the home is easy with the Media Hub’s media and iTunes server capabilities. The Media Hub automatically searches the network for other media devices to present all available digital media to the user in a single location.
Easy Graphical User Interface
Content accessible to the Media Hub is presented in a browser-based, simple to navigate user interface. Music albums are consolidated and presented together with the appropriate Album Art, regardless of where the tracks reside within the network, eliminating the need to know which device music is stored on. Photos and videos are presented using thumbnail images that are easily organized by date or name. All available media, regardless of type, can be located by using the available search function.
Simple Remote Access 

Remote Access can be enabled on the Media Hub with just a few clicks of a button. Users are not required to install any special software or change their network configuration. The Media Hub takes care of everything with the exception of choosing its Remote Access name. Whether accessing the Media Hub on a PC at home, or through a web browser anywhere in the world via www.ciscomediahub.com, consumers are presented with the same easy to navigate user interface that enables them to access their digital media and upload or download files from a remote location.
Backup
Automated
backup software is included with the Media Hub to help ensure that even the most treasured memories and digital libraries are protected. Folders on a computer within the network that contain Digital Media can be set to automatically copy any new files to the Media Hub for added piece of mind.

Consumer Friendly Design
The product’s sleek design makes it possible to place the Media Hub virtually anywhere in the home and with its near silent operation it will not disturb daily life. With two drive bays and external USB ports consumers can easily expand their Media Hub if and when their Digital Media storage needs grow.

Configurations and availability:
In the US, the products are available now from authorized Linksys by Cisco retailers, resellers, and VAR partners. Cisco anticipates availability in Canada, UK, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands during the first quarter of 2009.

The Media Hub comes in both the NMH300 Series and the NMH400 Series. The NMH300 series is a cost-effective solution that offers all of the core features of the Media Hub, and is designed to be used primarily with a PC or Mac to interface with the device. On the NMH400 Series, an LCD screen that displays information such as available space, drive usage by type of media, and network status teams with a 6-in-1 card reader to enable the simple transfer of new media and entertainment onto the Media Hub without the need for a computer. Firmware upgrades and instant backups can also be initiated via navigating the LCD.

The following configurations of the LinksysMedia Hub will be available from launch:
NMH305 – Linksys by Cisco Media Hub (500GB hard drive) MSRP: $299.99/ €299.99

NMH405 – Linksys by Cisco Media Hub with LCD and 6-in-1 card reader (500GB hard drive) MSRP: $349.99/ €349.99

NMH410 – Linksys by Cisco Media Hub with LCD and 6-in-1 card reader (1TB hard drive) MSRP: $429.99/ €429.99

D-Link states that the NVR will work with most currently-available cameras, and are motion activated, and use a differential technology to allow you to look for the point when an object disappears, or when motion is detected. Seems like quite a cool bit of tech to me.

They will available in 1Q 2009, and the DNS-726-4 will support 4 cameras, and be priced at $699.99, while the DNS-722-4 will support one camera, and be priced at $399.

Here’s the full press release:

D-Link Boosts Small Business IP Surveillance Options; Offers New Network Video Recorder (NVR) Family

New DNS-722-4 & DNS-726-4 Based on Company’s 2-Bay Network Attached Storage (NAS) Technology

LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire – January 6, 2009) – (South Hall Rm. S218) — D-Link, a worldwide leading network solutions provider for consumers and business, today unveiled a new Internet-based surveillance product line — the network video recorders (NVR) — designed with advanced features and compact size to meet the camera monitoring needs of consumers, small office/home office (SOHO) users and small-to-medium businesses.

Debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs through Sunday here, the DNS-722-4 and DNS-726-4 are based on D-Link’s proven 2-bay network attached storage (NAS) device technology. The DNS-726-4 NVR Pro version works with D-Link as well as Axis, Sony and Panasonic network cameras.

Both are standalone serial ATA RAID NVRs that feature a security lock, 24/7 recording with a PC, friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for multiple camera management and direct access for viewing live video or playing back recorded data through the Internet from anywhere at anytime.

One of the most powerful features of the cameras is flexible event management. The NVRs can monitor all camera "triggers" from motion detection or digital input interface. The DNS-726-4 can centrally control the digital output, email and recording of all networked cameras. For example, if camera 1 detects motion, the NVR can trigger camera 2 to record, camera 3 to emit light, and camera 4 to turn to the preset position.

An event log keeps track of log pages by date for easy look up, and multiple contact lists can be created for event notification.

Both new D-Link NVRs boast intelligent playback features, such as:

– Smart Search – users can save time searching through recorded data. The NVR’s intelligent search function quickly retrieves data by finding a selected area on the video and setting the search criteria (motion detected, object missing, focus lost, camera occlusion, etc.). The DNS-726- 4 will display the list and play from the event timeframe.

– Multiple channel playback – After selecting the desired video period, the DNS-726-4 will begin playback and display up to four simultaneous channels. The DNS-722-4 supports one channel.

– Playback speed control – Both NVRs can playback at up to 16x speeds in fast forward or fast backward modes.

– Step playback – The NVRs can playback video one frame at a time.– Video enhancement – Users can adjust the recorded video to get enhanced output for brightness, sharpness, etc. for either playback viewing, snapshots or prints.

Other key features include:

– Camera status display – Both NVRs will produce a status page to show connection, recording, frame and bit rate information for each camera. Users also can check the display to see how much recording time remain, and for easy identification, each camera’s name is shown on all video channels.

– "Always" or "Event" recording status – Users can avoid unintentional recording interruptions by checking their PC or laptop screen displays to find which recording mode activity.

Comparitively, the D-Link NVRs are the only IP surveillance recording and playback management systems that offer Power over Ethernet (PPPoE), unlimited schedule recording, dynamic DNS, four-channel support, two 3.5-inch SATA bays, four different RAID levels for backup and up to 120 frame speed performance for under $700.

Price and Availability

The D-Link NVRs will be available in the first quarter of 2009 through a network of value-added resellers, solution providers and distributors, and at the company store, www.dlinkshop.com. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the DSN-726-4 is $699.99, and $399 for the DSN-722-4.

We mentioned the Addonics USB NAS adapter in mid-December, and I’ve just finished playing with a review unit. As you can see from the photo, this thing is small! There’s a lot to say about this simple little device, so read on for the whole scoop!

It’s got a USB port, an RJ-45 port, and a small socket for the power cord. Along one side are two status LEDs, and a reset button. It would be great if this thing could be driven by Power-over-Ethernet, but I don’t suppose many home switches and routers include that feature yet. The power adapter itself isn’t too big, and is thankfully not a gigantic wall-wart.

Setup
In the box you get the NAS adapter, a power cable, a short Ethernet cable, a CD, and an instruction pamphlet. A complete user manual is on the CD, though chances are you’ll never need to read it. Using this device is extremely intuitive.

On the CD is also a little Java application, SDisk.jar that you use to locate your NAS adapter the first time. As a Linux user, I was glad to see a plain ol’ JAR file, rather than a Windows executable. I ran the application, and instantly it told me the IP address that had been assigned to my adapter.

If you don’t have a DHCP server on your network, the NAS adapter will automatically start a built-in DHCP server, and assign itself an address.

Once you have the IP address of the device, simply key that into your web browser. You’ll be prompted for a login — the initial credentials are admin/admin — and then you’ll see the status overview page.

Click the Identification link on the left, and you’ll be able to set some basic info for your configuration. You can give the device a friendly name, as well as define the Windows workgroup which will be used. Here, too, you can set a new admin password.

Visit the IP Config link to change the networking parameters. It’s probably best to assign this thing a static IP within your network.

Storage
The installation pamphlet says, somewhat cryptically

Any external USB storage device that you connect to the NAS adapter will initially be required to be formatted. This means, if you are connecting to an external USB drive with data on it, the hard drive will be formatted erasing all information.

That’s not entirely true. I was able to connect both a USB stick and a USB hard drive — both of which were already formatted and contained data. The catch is that none of the data on the media will be available to or through the NAS adapter. When you connect media to the adapter, it creates a PUBLIC directory, which is the default location for the data it presents to the world. If you create a PUBLIC directory first, and stick data in there, and then connect the media to the NAS adapter, it will detect and make available that data.

File Sharing
Click the SMB Server link to define what and how directories are shared to your local network. By default, the PUBLIC directory is made available for read and write operations to the whole world.

Click the Add button to define a new user. You can assign the user a password, and then specify whether that user should have read-only or read/write access. When you add new users, a new directory is created for that user. Initially, this user only has access to their own directory (using their credentials: the default PUBLIC share should still be accessible to them as a guest user). You can specifically assign access to other directories, if they exist.

SMB speeds on my network weren’t stunning, but they were acceptable. I have the NAS adapter plugged directly into my Linksys WRT54G router, to which my laptop is connected via 802.11g.

FTP
The NAS adapter also includes an FTP server, so you can easily share files outside of your local network. You’ll need to set up port-forwarding on your router, but that shouldn’t be too great a hurdle.

Out of the box, the device allows anonymous read-only FTP access to the PUBLIC folder. It’s important to keep this in mind: if you use the PUBLIC share for your local network and then setup port forwarding, anyone in the world can access all of the files in your PUBLIC folder.

Just like with the SMB server, you can create specific FTP accounts. It’s mildly annoying that SMB accounts don’t automatically become FTP accounts, and vice versa, but that’s not too big a deal. As with the SMB server, FTP accounts create a directory for that account, and by default the account only has access to that directory. If you want an FTP user to have access to the PUBLIC directory, for example, you’ll need to explicitly make that available to the new user.

FTP speeds were as fast as expected. The upload speed on my home DSL line is acceptable, but not wonderful. It took about 8 hours to transfer a 2.2 GB file from me to a friend who uses AT&T’s U-Verse.

Remember, though, that FTP is a plaintext protocol. So anyone who can watch your network packets will see your password as well as the files you’re downloading. If you’re planning to use the Addonics NAS adapter to engage in copyright violation, be aware that it’ll be trivially easy for a snoop at your ISP to identify what files you’re infringing.

Media Server
On the Media Server page you can define the location of directories to share with several external media applications. The page sub-title says “X-BOX360 Media Server”. I don’t have an X-BOX 360 so I couldn’t test this. Basically, you’d select a folder containing photos and make it available to your XBox for display on your television. The same for videos. Neat! The middle option, for a Music Folder, says underneath “Note: support iTunes”.

Unfortunately, I was never able to get iTunes or Rhythmbox to access my music. Both applications saw the Addonics NAS on my network, but neither ever allowed me to access music. iTunes just spun and spun and never connected. Rhythmbox spit out an error almost immediately.

BitTorrent
Perhaps one of the most interesting features packed into this little NAS adapter is a BitTorrent client. You can define which directory you want downloaded files to be stored — again, the default is PUBLIC — as well as the port to use. You can also specify an upload limit, if you want to throttle how much you share back with the world. The Mail Notification option allows you to receive an email when a torrent has finished downloading.

You can’t feed the NAS adapter a BitTorrent link, you need to upload an actual torrent file. You can upload more than one file in order to access multiple torrents at once. The lower portion of the screen will show the status of the torrent(s). This page will automatically refresh every couple of seconds to show you the current status of your downloads.

You can pause and resume, as well as stop and remove torrents. You can also get detailed info on the individual torrents you’re downloading by clicking the “Show” button.

In-progress torrents are stored in a BT directory which, by default, is not shared with any users. You can manually assign access to the BT directory to SMB and FTP users if you want, but there’s no real reason to do so. The torrent chunks are stored inside sub-directories of the BT directory, and when the full file has been downloaded it is moved to the target directory specified on the BitTorrent client page.

There’s one big caveat to know about the NAS adapter’s BitTorrent client: it terminates torrents as soon as it has finished downloading them. This is fine for leechers, but if you’re worried about maintaining a ratio, or just want to do your civic duty to share back the files you’ve snarfed, this is not the client for you. Hopefully a future firmware update might remedy this major shortcoming.

Other Stuff
You can elect to use the NAS adapter as a network print server by plugging in a USB printer. I didn’t try this, as I don’t think it’s the kind of feature for which most people will buy this gadget.

I also didn’t try plugging it into a USB hub. It might work, but I assumed that the NAS adapter wouldn’t know how to expose multiple USB drives connected to the hub. If you buy one of these and connect it to a USB hub, please share your experiences in the comments.

You can remove media from the NAS adapter without disconnecting power. If no media is present, the device will continue to function. This means you can juggle disks or memory sticks on the fly. For example, my Philips DVD player has a USB port and can play a variety of media files from USB media. I can put a USB stick into the Addonics NAS adapter, download some media, and then move the stick to my DVD player.

Bottom Line
For $55, this thing is a winner. It’s small, silent, draws little power and generates little heat. If you want some network storage but don’t want to fuss with a full desktop — or even something like a Linksys NSLU-2 — the Addonics NAS adapter is a great choice.

If you want to be able to access files remotely, or make files available to folks far away, the built in FTP server is super easy to use.

Hopefully future firmware updates will fix the problems I experienced with iTunes, as well as make the BitTorrent client a little more robust. But if those are the only complaints I can make against this $55 gadget, then Addonics is really on to something!

The capacity of the new ex485/ex487 is “up to 9TB,” although I think that’s just based on the max current capacity of its four SATA HDD slots. You can add USB storage or eSATA devices as needed. These HP devices are chock full of services, and if you’re looking for a rich storage solution you could do a lot worse than a MediaSmart. Although it’s cheaper to buy internal storage, the built-in capabilities and dedicated apps for sharing media and so on make something like this a great option for a connected home.

If you move fast, you can get $50 off by using the code “AC5674″ at checkout.

Here’s the full press release:

HP Launches New Home Server for PCs and Macs

HP MediaSmart Server centralizes digital media and files for backup, remote access, sharing and uploading to social media sites

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 29, 2008 – HP today launched a home server designed for use with both Windows and Mac computers.

Based on the Microsoft Windows® Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.(1)

The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet,(2) and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.

“A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, Worldwide Attach Group, HP. “The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected.”

“HP continues to innovate on the Windows Home Server platform giving consumers even more options to enjoy and protect their precious memories and valuable data,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager, Windows Server Solutions, Microsoft. “We believe consumers will embrace the new MediaSmart Server as one of the most exciting computing products for the home.”

MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 features include:

· HP Media Collector: conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs

· Media Streaming: remotely streams photos and music to any Internet-connected PC or Mac

· Server for iTunes: centralizes iTunes music libraries on the server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes

· HP Photo Publisher: easily upload photos to Facebook®, PicasaTM Web Albums and Snapfish(3)

· HP Photo Viewer: allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family

· PC Hard Drive Backup: backs up networked PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature

· Mac Hard Drive Backup: backs up Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software

· Server Backup: duplicates designated shared folders to a separate hard disk drive

· Online Backup: duplicates designated folders to Amazon’s S3 online backup service for an additional layer of protection

· Smart Power Management: can schedule times for server to go to ”sleep” and ”wake up,” saving on energy costs

· Processor: Intel® Celeron®, 2.0 GHz 64-bit. Two gigabytes (GB) of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM now standard on MediaSmart Server

· Expandability: additional drives can be added for up to 9 terabytes (TB)

“Customers are always looking for the right mix of features and ease-of-use when choosing digital home products,” said Danielle Levitas, group vice president, consumer, broadband and digital marketplace at IDC. “HP’s focus and investment in software allows it to deliver a home server with compelling features for Mac and PC users while offering a great customer experience that helps simplify the complexity of the connected home. This unique offering will help expand the home server market.”

Pricing and availability

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the HP MediaSmart Server ex485 with 750 GB of hard disk storage is $599 while the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 with 1.5 TB is $749.(4)

The HP MediaSmart Server can be pre-ordered beginning on Jan. 5, 2009, from Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Frys.com and NewEgg.com; it is expected to ship in February.

The first 200 consumers who visit HP Home & Home Office (www.hpshopping.com) or call +1 888 271 2982 between Jan. 5 – 11, 2009, to reserve a MediaSmart Server and use coupon code “AC5674” will receive a $50 savings off their purchase.(5)

More information is available at www.hp.com/go/mediasmartserver.

Gone are the days of using expensive, noisy, bulky computers to serve media to our networks. Behold the Addonics NAS Adapter! This $55 doodad turns any USB drive into a network share accessible via SMB or FTP. But that’s not all! It also includes a BitTiorrent client, so you can download all those episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” directly to your USB drive while you’re at work! It acts as either a DHCP server or a client, and offers web-based management. Who wouldn’t want to find this little guy under the Christmas tree this year?

Via eHomeUpgrade.

Princeton Japan has a NAS for you torrent freaks. The DN-503AH-PDC (wow) ships with 5TB storage capacity that support RAID 0/1/5/6 configurations. All the standard NAS features are present, including 10/1000 Ethernet and hot-swappable HDDs. The NAS has a December Japanese launch slated but hopefully U.S. downloaders will get a chance to fill it as well.

Wow. I kinda wish I had $300 to burn and enough crap to put on this thing because a two-terabyte network drive with a built-in USB print server might look nice sitting betwixt my router and printer.

Buy.com has the Cavalry network hard drive with two one-terabyte SATA hard drives that can be mooshed into a RAID array for $359.99, plus a $60 mail-in rebate that’s good until November 12, bringing the price down to $299.99. That’s not bad for all that storage. Plus, you get the USB print server and the NAS features to boot.

[Buy.com via dealnews]

As we all probably know, putting any sort of faith in hard drives is a fool’s errand. As soon as you finish that one important download or save that Word document for the last time, the drive fails and you contemplate your own humanity. Something to that effect.

Well, LG hears you. That’s why it attached a Blu-ray drive to its N4BA network attached storage—NAS to you and me. (You and I? Totally forget.) That way, you can occasionally back up all that important data you’ve accumulated. Handy, if nothing else.

This “live” photo is from the Korea Electronics Show, meaning it’ll be a cold day in hell before it makes its way stateside. That’s my guess, at least.