ASUSTOR has become one of my go to manufacturers for NAS. They have made some great NAS at some very affordable prices. Naturally, as time goes on, components are less expensive for consumers and for manufacturers. This allows NAS makers to pack more power into their storage appliances without increasing costs. In some cases, we are finding more powerful NAS at lower costs. To compliment this decrease in costs, production ramps up, R&D ramps up, and product enhancements increase. Ok, the point of all that? ASUSTOR has released a new 8-bay NAS, gave it more power, slapped a new name on it, and... lowered the cost. Enter the AS5008T.

It seems like it was just yesterday that I set my sights on Crucial's MX100 256GB SSD. The MX100 was a solid drive (pun intended) that performed well, was affordable, and was as reliable as a 1980s Volvo (very reliable). Crucial thinks they can build on their strengths and impress me once again with their shinier, newer, MX200 500GB SSD.

While conducting the overview of Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials, I ran into a few errors while configuring the "Set up Client Restore Service". It seems that no matter what I did, I couldn't get the service to start. Then, a little digging, a quick copy & paste; all was resolved.

ASUSTOR has been hard at work. Not only have they been releasing some very impressive NAS lately, but they are also hard at work in the development labs to try and make ADM (ASUSTOR Data Master) the best operating system they can. ADM is intuitive, impressive, and fast.

I get very excited when I get a new case in the lab for review. I get even more excited when the case comes from BitFenix. BitFenix has been quietly making some of the best computer cases out there. Their signature SofTouch Surface Treatment is simply amazing. Having gained popularity with their Colossus case, BitFenix has decided to bring all that style and pizzazz to the Mini ITX platform, and dubbed it the Colossus Mini-ITX.

QNAP® Systems, Inc. today announced that its NAS officially supports Kodi (formerly XBMC) Entertainment Center. Users of x51, x53, x70, x71, x79 and x80 series NAS now can install Kodi in HD Station to enjoy an improved entertainment experience.

Qnap has released an update their QTS Operating System. This update addresses some concerns about OpenSSL versions as will as fixes some annoyances.

Just when I thought it was safe to open a box again, Thecus drops one at my door and tells me that they have produced the First Ever Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials NAS. After coming hot off the heals of the Buffalo WSS 5400 NAS review, I thought I would have a break to get back to some good ole fashioned Linux based NAS reviews, I guess not. Having liked the Buffalo NAS, I can't wait to see what Thecus is able to accomplish with their W5000 5-Bay premium NAS.

Thecus Technology Corp. has recently released a firmware update for the ThecusOS 5.0 software that includes new features and fixes to further the functionality and effectiveness of Thecus NAS servers.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, has announced that it is releasing the ASUSTOR Data Master (ADM) 2.4 operating system for all of its NAS devices. All ASUSTOR NAS users will be able to upgrade online to ADM 2.4, in order to enjoy newly added and enhanced core functions that optimize the user experience and increase overall system performance.