Not interested in a do-it-all NAS / router / photo frame like D-Link's DIR-685? Then you may want to consider Synology's just-announced DS409Slim NAS, which keeps things nice and simple and, as you can see above, compact. Despite that size, however, you'll still get four bays for some 2.5-inch drives of your choice (up to 2TB total), along with some standard issue NAS specs like a 1.2GHz Marvell processor, 128MB of RAM, a pair of USB ports, and a single eSATA port -- not to mention the usual DLNA certification and support for UPnP, among other media-friendly features. Look for this one to start shipping this month with a street price of about $400.

[Via SmallNetBuilder]

Western Digital has already dialed things up to 4TB with its My Book Studio Edition II hard drive, and it's now done the same with its new My Book World Edition II dual-drive storage system. One of the big advantages with this one is that the dual drives are shipped in a mirrored RAID 1 configuration for an extra level of protection, although you can of course reconfigure 'em yourself if you'd prefer twice the space instead. Otherwise, you can expect all the usual NAS-related features, a "cooler, quieter, eco-friendly design," a USB port to add on an extra USB drive, and a nifty capacity gauge to let you see how much space is available at a glance. Expectedly, the top-end 4TB demands a rather hefty $700, but you can also pick up a 2TB drive for a more reasonable $400 if you have less demanding needs.

Looks like the storage freaks at Seagate are back on the scene with yet another array of BlackArmor devices for securing all that precious data of yours. First up: for the small business types, the NAS 220 storage server sports 4TB of shared storage capacity for up to 20 PCs. If that's not your cup of tea, the WS 110 is an external (USB 2.0 or eSATA) drive available in capacities up to 2TB. Lastly (but not leastly) the PS 110 is a 500GB portable drive perfect for road warriors and the like, sporting a thin form factor (12.5mm). All devices include automated full-system backup, SafetyDrill+, and AES 256-bit government-grade encryption. Both the BlackArmor WS 110 ($159.99 for 1TB or $309.99 for 2TB) and the BlackArmor PS 110 ($159.99 for 500GB) are available now. The BlackArmor NAS 220 will hit the shelves in late July ($449.99 for 2TB or $699.99 for 4TB). Full PR after the break.

QNAP's already stuffed an Atom processor into a few of its NAS devices, but it looks like the company is still only just getting started, and it's now rolled out yet another model in the form of the SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS. Like the similarly designated TS-439, this one will accommodate four SATA drives of your choice, although the SS-439 opts for 2.5-inch drives to keep the NAS even more compact. Otherwise, you can expect to get 1GB of DDRII memory in addition to that Atom N270 processor, along with support for RAID 0/1/5/6/5+hot spare configurations, three USB ports, two eSATA ports, and all the usual security measures you'd expect from a small business / SOHO-minded NAS. No word on pricing just yet, but it looks like this one should be rolling out to retailers right away.

We know you love a good NAS, so we're pleased to report that the crew over at QNAP Systems has announced the TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS, a dual (2TB) bay Atom-based device that sports a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB DDRII memory, a none-too-shabby 350MBit/s throughput, and iSCSI target service for SMB and SOHO users. Other features include hot-swappable locking disk trays, two (count 'em!) Giga LAN ports, three USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, and support for Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX operating systems. You can expect the myriad of features the company usually provides in their network appliances, including thin provisioning, online RAID capacity expansion, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, SMS and email alerts, bit.torrent and EMule downloads, FTP and web server support, database and content management, print server, XDove mail, and Surveillance Station for video monitoring and recording. We still don't know why Nas doesn't have a contract with the company, but we have high hopes that Jay-Z can help him broker some sort of spokesperson gig.

Netgear doesn't exactly go all out with the styling or blinkin' lights on its ReadyNAS devices, but that all-business exterior is no doubt just what some folks are looking for, and it doesn't look like they'll be disappointed by the company's latest ReadyNAS NVX model. According to Netgear, this one offers "double the performance" of previous NV+ models, which is apparently explained in part by the addition of iSCSI support, along with a number of other new features like an improved ReadyNAS "RAIDiator" operating system (fully compatible with Time Machine) and, of course, a whole range of other on-site and off-site backup measures. That won't exactly come cheap, however, as the base 2TB model starts at a hefty $1,500, with an extra $5.95 to $19.95 a month required for Netgear's ReadyNAS Vault backup service.