In as much as NAS devices are handy when it comes to backing up data, streaming audio and video over a home network and many other things, one of the downsides is that the performance when it comes to actually putting the data on them isn't always there. Akitio has come up with a home storage solution that attempts to solve this issue by being a combination NAS/DAS with USB 3.0 connectivity.
Admittedly we're growing somewhat tired of the whole "cloud" hype and the Cloud Hybrid as Akitio calls its latest device is clearly trying to build in the cloud storage hype. The base specifications consist of an unspecified 300MHz processor, 32MB of DDR memory and 2MB of flash memory, i.e. not the most impressive specifications out there, but with only room for a single hard drive, the Cloud Hybrid isn't intended to be a high-end storage device, but rather something you'd use for streaming media around your home.
Interestingly, Akitio is using Microsoft's exFAT file system which so far isn't widely used on anything outside of high-capacity flash memory cards. Connectivity consists of a single Gigabit Ethernet port as well as the aforementioned USB 3.0 port. The idea, even judging by Akitio's ideas behind the product is that you load data onto the Cloud Hybrid via USB 3.0 and then connect it up to your home network to access the data.
The good news is that Akitio has added support for a wide range of standard technologies such as UPnP-AV, DLNA, iTunes music server, FTP, Samba and much more. The device is configured via a standard web GUI and it's compatible with UPnP clients like the Xbox 360, PS3, iTunes and Windows 7 MCE, but Akitio also offers a mobile app so you can access the data via iOS or Android devices and it can even be used to record directly to from some Toshiba Regza TV's. There's also support for remote access over the internet via a web portal.
As far as performance is concerned, Akitio claims 60MB/s sustained transfer rates using Samba which isn't exceptional, but pretty decent for an entry level device such as this. Keep in mind that you'd get better performance over USB 3.0, but the enclosure is limited to SATA 3Gbps drives, although this shouldn't be an issue for your average hard drive. At US$99 (S$125) the Akitio Cloud Hybrid isn't terribly expensive for what you get, but keep in mind that this isn't the type of device you want if data security matters to you - thanks vrzone.
