Toshiba's Storage Products Business Unit of Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc., a committed technology leader, announces four new large capacity nearline hard disk drives (HDDs), including the first self-encrypting models in the company's enterprise capacity-optimized storage lineup. The 3.5-inch 7,200 rpm MG Series includes both SATA models - the MG03ACA400 and the MG03ACA400Y - and SAS models - MG03SCA400 and the MG03SCP400 - and all deliver 4 TB of storage, the company's largest capacity to date.

As businesses work to keep up with the explosion of unstructured data, large capacity HDDs are crucial for IT systems designed to organize and access the growing pools of valuable information. The massive capacity of the MG Series is perfectly suited for RAID storage and arrays, tiered virtual infrastructures for public and private cloud deployments, archives, and disk-based backup and data protection solutions. The robust 24x7 design and massive capacity provide the cost-effectiveness required for business-critical servers and external storage systems, including NAS, SAN and tiered storage deployments for large enterprises, as well as for direct-attached storage in general purpose servers and SMB-oriented systems and applications.

Synology today announced select models of its Plus series NAS server achieve the status of VMware vSphere 5 ready with full support for vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI). By incorporating the cutting-edge VAAI technologies into the Plus series, Synology carves out an affordable storage solution for VMware virtual servers.

Synology supports VAAI primitives that include Hardware Assisted Locking (ATS), Block Zero, Full Copy, and Thin Provisioning. The complete VAAI support not only offloads tasks from ESXi server to storage arrays, but also achieves significant gains in system performance and more efficient utilization of storage space. When deploying the Plus series NAS servers, businesses are entitled to greater simplicity, agility and efficiency in their virtualization environments. For more information, please visit this page.

Transcend announced a 128 GB variant of its StoreJet Cloud wireless SSD (model: TS128GSJC10K), which the company launched in December 2011, with 32 GB and 64 GB variants. Measuring 99 x 54 x 16.5 mm, and weighing 90 g (roughly the size and weight of an entry-level smartphone), the drive is a self-powered wireless SSD, which uses a Li-polymer battery that can keep the drive connected for up to 6 hours; and 802.11 b/g/n (up to 150 Mbps) WLAN interface, with which the drive can either be part of a wireless network, or serve up to five clients in a small radius.

Since it's technically a NAS, the StoreJet Cloud features support for basic NAS features, and can be controlled using apps for mobile devices via Google Play and Apple App Store. The drive uses USB 2.0/1.1 for charging, and can connect to a host as USB mass-storage device. Thanks to drops in NAND flash prices, the 128 GB variant is priced around US $150. For reference, the 64 GB variant was launched at $300, just last year.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced new Turbo NAS V3.8 firmware; which incorporates sought-after improvements to Turbo NAS multimedia applications and new business features. New features of Turbo NAS V3.8 firmware include support for Windows 8, improvements in Turbo NAS multimedia capabilities, the addition of Surveillance Station Pro, and proxy client for flexible yet secure Internet access in business environments. Firmware V3.8 supports the newest Microsoft Windows 8 operating system, allowing Windows 8 users to enjoy their Turbo NAS experiences which are optimized for Windows 8.

"QNAP is pleased to announce compatibility of our award-winning Turbo NAS lineup with the global launch of Windows 8," said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. "Our customers will be delighted to know that their Turbo NAS experience has been optimized for Windows 8."

Synology Inc. today announced selected DiskStation and RackStation are officially certified for Microsoft Windows Server 2012, which delivers important advancements to help businesses increase IT efficiency as well as achieve a new level of availability.

The compelling combination of Synology NAS server and the new Windows Server 2012 operating system entitles businesses to boost performance and flexibility when migrating running virtual machine without downtime. Additionally, the full Windows Server 2012 support ensures business continuity and minimizes disaster recovery time with real-time virtual machine remote replication. The combined virtualized platform also enables enterprises to flexibly leverage the new VHDX format and its ability of supporting up to 64TB storage per virtual hard disk. Moreover, Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) 2.0 provides a highly scalable and flexible shared storage infrastructure with increased performance. CSV 2.0 will be supported with more workloads, including File Server for scale-out application data.

Synology Inc. today implemented Synology Replacement Service Europe (SRSE) for its XS and XS+ series NAS server, which expedites the process of replacing defective products and optimizes system uptime.

"We are doing our utmost to maximize server availability and protect users' investments with premium services," said Mike Chen, managing director of Synology UK. In the event of server failures, a replacement product will be sent to the user even before the defective item being returned to Synology. Additionally, Synology will ship a replacement product as early as the next business day after receiving users' SRSE application. Please visit this page for more information.

PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), a leading global supplier of high-speed connectivity solutions enabling emerging data center architectures, today announced a live demonstration of its ExpressFabric technology at the SC12 supercomputing conference this week in Salt Lake City, UT. ExpressFabric is a PLX-initiated approach to extending the PCI Express (PCIe) standard from its current dominant presence inside servers, switches and storage appliances, to a central position as a fabric, uniting all hardware within the racks of data centers.

"Small to medium sized clusters -- for example, those with 20 to 1,000 CPU nodes, on one to eight racks -- are best suited for ExpressFabric technology," said Vijay Meduri, PLX vice president of engineering. "For applications that use clusters of that size, or are capable of using disaggregated clusters, ExpressFabric technology allows for complete elimination of bridges and other protocol fabrics to create the mini-clusters. The PCIe convergence model and ongoing software development that is being implemented is designed to be compatible and will co-exist with Ethernet, InfiniBand and other fabrics in the data center."

I-O Data has this week announced a new network attacked storage solution, the RockDisk Next. Measuring 42 x 125 x 215 mm, I-O Data's device features a 750 MHz dual-core SoC, 256 MB of DDR2 memory, three USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA connector, Gigabit Ethernet, and a one-year warranty.

The RockDisk Next can stream to PCs, Macs as well as iOS and Android tablets and smartphones, and comes in three versions - disk-less (~ $100), with a 2 TB drive (~ $198), and with a 3 TB HDD (~ $249).

Today LaCie announced an all-new network storage solution that connects the entire family to their music, movie and photo files. The LaCie CloudBox stores files in a single location so family members can easily share them with friends, and access them from anywhere on any device.

ONE-PLUG, ONE-CLICK SETUP
The LaCie CloudBox makes setup worry-free thanks to its two-step set-up process. Simply plug the LaCie CloudBox into a power outlet and connect the Ethernet cable into a router. The LaCie CloudBox does the rest with no software to install. In just a few minutes, the LaCie CloudBox will appear on the user's Mac or PC just like a connected device.

Synology Inc. today launched RS3413xs+, the first XS+ series NAS server that boasts superior performance of 400,000+ read IOPS and high availability to provide a rigorous foundation for the mission-critical tasks of large-scale businesses.

Equipped with Xeon Quad Core 3.3 GHz CPU and dual 10GbE bandwidth capability, the RS3413xs+ is capable of delivering 2,000+ MB/s read throughput under RAID 5 configuration with link aggregation. The combination of SSD cache technology and SATA drives boosts throughput efficiently while minimizing cost per gigabyte. Besides, encryption acceleration with AES New Instructions ensures its performance stays uncompromised.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, has announced the launch of its all new AS 6 Series Network Attached Storage (NAS). The AS 6 Series NAS devices come in two, four, six and eight-bay models and feature System Sleep Mode (S3) along with near instantaneous wake up times. Equipped with the Intel Atom 2.13 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM (expandable), the 6 Series combines supercharged performance with low power consumption. Intel technology also makes it possible for the devices to boast HDMI outputs which allows for the playing of HD video and multimedia directly to HDMI ready displays.

"In the last ten years we have seen exponential growth in the amount of digital assets worldwide. Properly securing and managing these assets has become a big issue," said Shawn Shu, President at ASUSTOR. "At ASUSTOR we truly understand how to secure our customers' most valued digital assets while providing dynamic new ways for them to interact with and access these assets."

Synology America Corp today announced its most powerful 2-bay DiskStation NAS, the DS713+. By taking advantage of the DX513 expansion module, it can quickly scale up to 28TB of raw storage. The DS713+ is built to save users time. The dual NICs allow for link aggregation for improved throughput in multi-user environments. With USB 3.0, users can transfer data to and from external disks faster than ever.

"The DS713+ brings performance that businesses need at a price they can afford," said Jason Bonoan, Product Marketing Manager at Synology America Corp. "This is quite simply the most powerful system that Synology has offered in this price range." Shipping with Synology's intuitive DiskStation Manager (DSM) 4.1, the DS713+ simplifies system management, allowing users to focus on productivity. The DSM operating system features a bevy of business-friendly aspects.

Iomega, a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability of the new Iomega StorCenter px12-400r Network Storage Array, a rackmount unit that leverages easy-to-use best-in-class EMC storage technologies at price points ideal for small and medium business, remote office/branch office installations and distributed enterprises.

The StorCenter px12-400r combines extremely high data throughput with quad-Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and an Intel Core i3 Processor in user-friendly storage configurations ranging from a diskless model that allows users to add their own hard drives to models that incorporate the flexibility of 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB and 4 TB Server Class hard drives.

QNAP Systems, Inc. announced today a major expansion of the number of compatible peripherals available for its family of Turbo NAS products. The major additions include a Seagate 2.5-inch 1TB internal SATA hard drive and 2.5-inch 1TB external storage device, two Arkeia Software 3rd party software apps and seventy network cameras.

Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today the Yuma 2 rugged tablet computer-a powerful mobile computing solution that provides full office capabilities in the field for construction, transportation, public safety, field service, forestry, utilities, mapping, insurance and any other outdoor or service-related industry.

The Yuma 2 offers a 7-inch capacitive multi-touch screen in an easy-to-hold form factor that measures 6.3 inches x 9.6 inches, and weighs less than three pounds. Featuring new display technology for even clearer readability in direct sunlight, the Yuma 2 can be used by mobile workers in the brightest outdoor conditions. The 3.75G dual-mode cellular data capability enables connectivity anywhere GSM or CDMA cellular networks are available.

Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today announced financial results for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2013.

Sales for Q2 FY 2013 were $548 million, down 7 percent from $589 million in Q2 FY 2012. Excluding the unfavorable impact of exchange rates, sales were down 4 percent compared to the same quarter in the prior year. Operating income was $24 million, up 3 percent from operating income of $23 million in the same quarter a year ago. Net income for Q2 FY 2013 was $55 million ($0.35 per share) compared to net income of $17 million ($0.10 per share) in Q2 FY 2012. Net income for Q2 FY 2013 includes a net tax benefit of $32 million from the closure of an income tax audit. Gross margin for the quarter was 35.8 percent, compared to 33.7 percent in the same quarter one year ago.

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced it has appointed Thomas Rampone as senior vice president of the company's solid state drive (SSD) business, which includes SanDisk's Enterprise Storage Solutions (ESS) and Client Storage Solutions (CSS) organizations. He will report to Sanjay Mehrotra, SanDisk's president and CEO.

Rampone joined SanDisk from Intel where he served for over 27 years in various engineering and executive roles. Most recently, Rampone was vice president and general manager of Intel's Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group where he was responsible for all of Intel's flash memory business including technology and product development, operations and marketing. Previously, Rampone served as vice president and general manager for Intel's Channel Platforms Group and the Desktop Boards Business.

Expanding its portfolio of cloud-enabled products, D-Link today announced its latest ShareCenter 2-Bay Cloud Storage 2000 (DNS-320L), offering a centralized storage solution with remote sharing, streaming, and management capabilities.

Delivering a complete home and small business cloud storage solution, the D-Link Cloud Storage 2000 enables users to remotely and locally download and upload files, delete files and folders from their storage device, and access files stored on their ShareCenter from any computer via the mydlink.com portal. Plus, with a free app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices, users can now easily view photos, and stream music and videos from their ShareCenter directly to mobile devices from anywhere in the world.

Iomega Corporation, a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability of the latest additions to Iomega's award-winning lineup of network storage solutions: the new Iomega StorCenter px2-300d Network Storage, a high performance, Intel Atom powered double-drive desktop network storage device with up to 6 TB of storage; and the new Iomega StorCenter ix4-300d Network Storage, the next generation of Iomega's popular StorCenter ix Series of versatile and easy-to-use four-drive desktop network storage appliances.

Designed for advanced users, small offices, small to medium-sized businesses and distributed enterprise, Iomega's new StorCenter px2-300d and StorCenter ix4-300d utilize EMC's award-winning LifeLine operating system for cross-platform file-sharing with seamless integration of security and convenience features such as RAID data protection, hot-swappable hard drives (only with the px2-300d), virtualized environment support, multiple cloud options for offsite data storage, antivirus protection (Only on px2-300d), Active Directory integration, advanced media sharing features and more. Both products are shipping with the Iomega's very latest LifeLine release 3.4, which delivers significant enhancements and new features like improved Active Directory Support, a more efficient EXT4 file system, added MySQL Server support and added video surveillance capabilities.

At the end of September 2012, Twonky released a new upgraded version of their Server module. TwonkyMedia V7 is now available for all who wishes to display their multimedia content on their mobile device or through their DMA device. Paired with the latest Twonky 7 modules, the users will now have access to a whole new multimedia experience.

A home NAS is often used to serve multi-media content, including photos, music, and video to other devices or over the internet. Using standard protocols such as DLNA, users can access their media stored on the home server from any room in the house. Twonky is a family of software and applications for your PC, Mac or mobile phone that finds all the digital media in your household and shares them with PCs, TVs, stereos and other devices connected to your network. With Twonky Server, you can make all of your stored digital files on your NAS free of use with your DLNA compliant home devices.

Synology Inc. introduced the DVBLink package, a 3rd party application for live streaming and recording TV programs with Synology NAS servers. The DVBLink package was developed by DVBLogic.

The DVBLink package is compatible with a wide range of digital TV broadcast standards which include DVB-S2 and DVB-T/T2, and supports up to 4 DTV tuners. By installing the package and plugging the supported DTV tuners into Synology NAS servers, users can view TV programs live and record their favorite channels. TV content can be streamed to XBMC or DLNA compatible devices. What's more, DVBLink mobile apps allow iOS, Android, and Windows Phone users to watch TV live and manage recording schedules remotely.

Logitec introduced a NAS device of a different kind: an optical drive that acts as a WLAN hotspot, letting a wide range of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and notebooks access contents of DVDs, or write onto them. The drive works as a standard external DVD writer over USB 2.0 interface, using a single cable for both host connectivity and power. USB is the drive's only power source, so you'll need AC adapters or vehicle cigarette lighter adapter to use it without a host PC.

Its optical drive component is originally made by TSST (Toshiba-Samsung). It can write DVD ± R/+RW at 8X, DVD±R DL /-RW at 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, and CDs at 24X. DVDs are read at speeds of up to 8X, and CDs at 24X. The drive ships with store links to apps on Apple App Store and Google Play, which let you download file-manager, and disc burning software for smartphones and tablets; as well as Nero Kwik Burn for PCs. Measuring 150 x 198 x 25 mm, the drives weigh about 430 g. The base model, which includes just a USB cable and AC adapter is priced at 6,980 JPY (US $88.2), and a variant that includes a vehicle power adapter for 8,980 JPY (US $113.4).

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced that because of the delayed filing with the SEC of the Form 10-Q for the period ending August 31, 2012 (the "Form 10-Q"), the Company received a letter from The Nasdaq OMX Group ("Nasdaq") indicating that the Company is not in compliance with the filing requirements for continued listing under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c).

The Nasdaq letter notes that the Company is required to submit a plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq's filing requirements for continued listing within 60 calendar days of the date of the Nasdaq notification letter. Upon acceptance of the Company's compliance plan, Nasdaq is permitted to grant an extension of up to 180 days from the Form 10-Q's filing due date, or until April 8, 2013, for the Company to regain compliance with Nasdaq's filing requirements for continued listing.

Japanese company Marshal announced the MAL-4725NAS, a compact NAS box which can enclose a 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD. Driven by a 750 MHz ARM 11MP processor, the box features 256 MB of RAM and the same amount of NAND flash storage to house its Linux-based operating system (Fedora 12 ARM). Its software provides most consumer NAS features including FTP, SMB, print server, NFS, AFP, DLNA, and iTunes. Gigabit Ethernet is its only network interface. The 2.5-inch drive bay supports drives as thick as 12.5 mm. Its limited local storage can be expanded with flash drives, enclosures, and other mass-storage devices thanks to an eSATA and two USB 2.0 ports. Measuring 123 x 123 x 33 mm, it weighs about 536 g. Slated for October 20, it is priced at 13,800 JPY (US $176).

Iomega, a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability this month of the new Iomega StorCenter px12-450r Network Storage Array, multi-protocol networked data storage for small and medium business, remote office/branch office installations and distributed enterprises. The StorCenter px12-450r features the new Intel Xeon Processor E3-1200 v2 Product Family, 8GB RAM, improved user supportability and the option of 4TB hard disk drives (HDD). Additionally, the StorCenter px12-450r utilizes the latest version of the EMC LifeLine software, an advanced operating system that makes EMC's enterprise class expertise and cloud capabilities available to a broad range of users.