nas

Seagate announced today its newest device to join the network attack storage (NAS) community: the Maxtor Central Axis.

Slated to be available in North America next month, the Central Axis promises to be a central space that hosts regular data files as well as digital content for home users. The Device supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard, meaning it will work very well with DLNA-compliant devices such as the popular games consoles Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3.

The Central Axis will also come with an easy backup solution that backs up data from any computers within … Read more

I've tested and reviewed a good amount of NAS devices and found them generally bulky. Even those we consider "compact", like the Synology DS107+ or the D-Link DNS 323, are still in no way close to being able to fit in your pocket. This is why I let out a big "wow" today when I saw Buffalo's newest kid on the NAS block. The LinkStation Mini immediately and totally changed my expectation in regard to how tiny a network storage device can be!

By tiny I refer strictly to the form factor. Having the … Read more

I'm hooked on network attached storage and need a fix. You see, I've been testing out DroboShare this week, and I quickly grew accustomed to having a simple, always connected backup device and a stash of mixed media freely available on my home network. As I boxed up my Drobo and DroboShare loaners this morning to send back to Data Robotics, I began debating whether I could justify dropping $700 for a networked storage device, which would also involve me purchasing at least two high-capacity hard drives.

My current backup situation is not what you would call elegant. … Read more

Why didn't anybody think of this before? Grand Theft Auto franchise developer Rockstar Games has teamed up with Amazon.com in an interesting joint promotion.

When GTA IV comes out on April 29 and you are cruising around inside doing whatever evil deeds come to mind, you might like a particular song playing on one of the radio stations in the game. Well, you will be able dial a number on your in-game virtual cellphone and receive a text message with artist and title information. And if you've signed up to be part of Rockstar's upcoming social … Read more

Setting up a network-attached storage device (or NAS) is oftentimes a pain. Usually the most frustrating part is getting Windows to identify it and map it as a drive. This way, you can actually use it as it was intended, as a network storage device. In CNET Labs, I've come across many types of NAS management interfaces, be they Web-based or desktop applications. All have one thing in common in my experience: they are not the easiest devices to set up. For this reason, I was very impressed by a demonstration from Synology of its new, soon-to-be released Disk … Read more

The problem: You've got a ton of digital music, photos, and video on your computer's hard drive, but you want to enjoy all that media on the big TV and stereo system in your living room--not hunched over the laptop screen. If you've got a network connection and one of the latest game consoles (an Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3, or--when paired with the free Orb software--even a Nintendo Wii), you may not need any new hardware--each of them can stream a wide variety of audio, video, and photo formats from your PC to your TV over your home network. However, if you're not a gamer, or you need a more robust solution--more file support, for instance--there are alternatives, such as the MediaGate MG-450HD. … Read more

Innumerable technology companies are trying to grab their share of consumer gadget spending, and storage makers are no exception. On Monday, Seagate, Toshiba, and Netgear all unveiled new products for the market at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

One of the bolder products, in my opinion, is from Netgear, which moved its ReadyNAS line, acquired from start-up InFrant, more in the consumer direction with the introduction of the ReadyNAS Duo 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

These systems attach to computers over a local network rather than a USB, Firewire, or eSATA port, meaning that multiple … Read more

Netgear's ReadyNAS line of network-attached storage devices has probably sounded like a good idea to home users looking for an easy and secure way to back up and access their files over their home network, but the drives' high prices have probably scared off many would-be purchasers. With its new ReadyNAS Duo line, Netgear is wooing home users. The company announced three ReadyNAS Duo models at CES: ReadyNAS Duo 500GB (RND2150), ReadyNAS Duo 750GB (RND2175), and ReadyNAS Duo 1TB (RND2110).

The drives feature only two SATA drive bays to the four bays found in Netgear's ReadyNAS NV+ line … Read more

Most of the time here on The Digital Home, I talk about products that may seem more consumer-focused than a NAS soluion. And while this D-Link SATA RAID Gigabit NAS may seem like a more business-use device, think again. For a nicely affordable price and fantastic performance, the DNS-323 is a great addition to any home.

Design

The DNS-323 is small enough to fit on a bookshelf and its black coloring helps it easily become part of any home setup. The front faceplate on the device comes off and reveals two drive bays that allow you to insert any SATA … Read more