NETGEAR MS2110 Stora NAS

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Network Attached Storage, or NAS, is still a relative newcomer to the technology scene. What used to be the realm of corporate IT engineers is now making its way into the consumer market. People want the ability to access and store their multimedia files on a centrally located HDD that can be poked into from just about anywhere. Looking to provide yet another viable option for those home users looking for NAS solutions, NETGEAR has just announced the launch of their latest NAS device, the 1TB Stora network-attached storage device.

NETGEAR’s announcement today comes as more and more storage device manufacturers are seeing an increasing trend in consumer acceptance for networked HDDs. We are downloading larger and more complex multimedia files with services like HDTV on-demand and other pay-per-use DLNA services and we aren’t content to have our data reside on the computer in the office. It needs to be readily accessible and easy to back up. The NETGEAR Stora is being touted as an easy-to-use network attached storage (NAS) device for home media. In a nutshell, it gives you a centralized place to dump all of your multimedia files with the added ability to access them from any networked device.

NETGEAR has given the device a smooth, graphical user interface that has been designed for non-technical users and can be accessed via the company’s MyStora portal at www.mystora.com. This allows you to share your photos and videos with anyone you choose without the time-consuming process of uploading them to Internet sites or transferring them over email. As long as they have access to the Internet they can have access to your files.

In addition to sharing files over the web, the Stora also features full integration with iTunes, Facebook, and other popular social networking sites. Stora can also be set up to serve content to other networked devices such as Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled photo frames, XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 game consoles, and iPhone and Blackberry mobile phones.

The NETGEAR Stora NAS is compatible with Mac, PC and Linux systems. It has two standard drive bays that automatically mirror data and offers plug-and-play protection to help protect stored data. The addition of a second drive can be done without shutting down the system or messing around with hard-to-understand configurations. Stora also comes with automatic backup utilities so you don’t even have to remember to do that.

NETGEAR Stora is available in North America now for $229 and comes standard with 1TB of storage capacity as well as an extra bay for when you’re ready to add even more storage – believe me, it won’t take as long as you think to rip through 1TB. According to NETGEAR, the rest of the world should be able to get a piece of the action in a couple of weeks. To get all of the extras like Flickr and mobile phone integration, you’ll have to pay a yearly service fee of $19.99 following a free, 30-day trial. For more info head on over to www.netgear.com.