Thecus Debuts N2200 NAS [Value-Based Network Attached Storage, Dual 3.5-in Drive Bays, DLNA/uPnP Compatible, 11W Operating Power Draw]

Here we go again. We’ve had another swimmer jump into the waters of the network attached storage (NAS) pool and this time it looks like something straight out of an episode of Buck Rogers. You know, the one where Buck argues with Twiki and Dr. Theopolis about how dangerous and seemingly impossible his mission is going to be. Anyway, 80’s retro looks notwithstanding, the latest entrant into the NAS market is the new Thecus N2200 from, who else, Thecus.

I just can’t get past how the N2200 looks. I think it would be right at home next to my Simon and Merlin games. I wonder if it plays a little analog synth tune when you turn it on. OK, I’ve got to get past this. Specs, man. Just the specs. Just like every other NAS on the market, this one is gets connected to a home network so that users can access the files from remote locations. The N2200 has capacity for two 3.5-in SATA hard disks with a maximum capacity of 4TB. For added flexibility, the N2200 is equipped with combo disk bays, which means it can also accommodate 2.5-in SATA hard disks. In the name of data security, the N2200 also offers several RAID modes including RAID 0, 1 and JBOD.

To make it easy on you when you want to switch out or add new HDDs, the N2200 is hot-swappable. The unit also features a front-mounted LCD display that provides system information like hard drive activity, LAN connectivity, and USB copy status. To aid in installation, the N2200 comes with a program called Thecus Smart Utility that offers one-click install and helps to back up your files.

The Thecus N2200 sports a download manager that supports HTTP and FTP downloads, as well as BitTorrent and eMule and comes with full multimedia support, with an iTunes server, Photo Web Server, and media streaming via uPNP. No word yet on pricing or availability but you can get the full story at www.thecus.com.