D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685 Router, NAS & Digital Photo Frame Released [Draft-N Router, Video Streamer & BitTorrent Friendly Multimedia Digiframe Has All Bases Covered]

We’ve often talked about how digital photo frames are evolving to encompass ancillary functionality and now along comes the D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685, which serves as both a 3.2” digiframe and a 802.11 router in what is, I’m sure you’d agree, once of the most curious amalgamations yet.

Billed as being ‘the industry’s first all-in-one home network router that combines powerful 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity with network attached storage (NAS), USB device-sharing, digital photo frame, Internet content player, FTP server and Green technology in a sleek, compact desktop design’ the D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685 is a decidedly curious device in that, whilst you’d expect its digiframe functionality to be rather limited (as if it were merely an after thought) its capabilities in actuality offer more than just serving as a digital slideshow. Of course, it’ll happily do that, but it’ll also stream video and offer up weather forecasts whilst, thanks to its NAS capabilities it’ll also handle BitTorrent downloads with data being stored on an internally mounted 2.5” SATA HDD (available up to 1TB capacity).

Add into this two USB posts touting D-Link’s unique SharePort technology which ‘allow multiple users to wirelessly share USB devices such as multi-function printers (MFP), scanners and external hard drives from virtually anywhere in the home or office’ and an onboard WiFi scheduler – allowing you to turn off WiFi connectivity in order to save on energy consumption when connectivity isn’t required (say, when you’re sleeping) – and what you have is, by anyone’s definition, and enormously capable, single solution device that covers rather more functionalities then once could possible ever envisage.

“This router is the ideal solution for power consumers who want the ultimate ‘all-in-one’ networking device,” says Daniel Kelley, senior director of marketing for D-Link Systems in Fountain Valley, Calif. “Not only does it offer full functionality as a router/NAS storage/print server/FTP device, it is attractive on any desktop, environmentally friendly and Internet secure.”

The multi-faceted D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685 is now available for just shy of $300.