QNAP's QMobile app enables multimedia NAS streaming to Android and iOS
By Darren Murph 
posted August 8th 2010 1:11AM
posted August 8th 2010 1:11AM
QNAP Announced QMobile Application for Android
The World's First All-in-One Media Player Solution for Android Phone Users to Access the Stored Photos, Music, and Videos from Their Network Storage Device
QNAP QMobile for AndroidTaipei, Taiwan, August, 2010 - QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of world class NAS (Network Attached Storage) servers announced today the beta application of QMobile, the world's first multimedia player solution for Android. QMobile allows users to stream music, digital pictures, and videos from their QNAP NAS servers and play directly on their Android handsets from anywhere. So long as you have Internet access, you can play all the contents on the NAS remotely, just like having a media center in your pocket!
"We are pleased to announce QMobile application as the first multimedia app for the connection between NAS and Android devices. For now, both iPhone and Android users can have fun with their mobile device and QNAP NAS," said James Wu, Product Manager of QNAP Systems, Inc. "Users no longer need to be concerned about synchronizing the multimedia contents to the mobile device. They can save storage space of the mobile device and get a compelling user experience with QMobile," James Wu added. QMobile is compatible with Android 1.5/1.6/2.1 platforms, and needs to be used with a QNAP NAS server running V3.3.0 management software or above.
QMobile is available for both iPhone and Android handsets.
For more information about QMobile app, please visit http://www.qnap.com/QMobile/ .
The new V3.3.0 NAS management software update (required to use QMobile) can be downloaded from the QNAP website at http://www.qnap.com/.
...or just get subsonic and dropbox =)
@CaptainPlanet
Does anyone have this? This looks promising
@CaptainPlanet
Dont see the point in this though. Saving data in a remote location and accessing it is not practical for a regular use basis. Is it?
@TheSkyKnight
>implying the internet is not useful
@CaptainPlanet that's what I'm sayin
''im waiting to be imphresed'' aka connery
@toyotast165
This ought to be the ugliest image of any article on this site.
@CaptainPlanet
I am starting to like QNAP products a lot!
@CaptainPlanet
And pay for it ?
YAY ! What a great strategy !
Or have a NaS or a PC already and just use it to do this.
It's not like it's new.
FreeNas offers this, win7 offers this...
@CaptainPlanet
What is subsonic? And why would you need it with dropbox?
@CaptainPlanet
NetPortal & FileBrowser from Stratospherix (http://www.stratospherix.com) allow you to connect to Macs, Windows PCs, Linux and many different types of NAS from your iPhone or iPad over WiFi, 3G and GPRS. You can view photos or stream audio/video if you've got a fast enough connection and also view docs and other kinds of file.
@JonnyB
Just use ES File Manager, free, easy - If you want an app on Android.
@TheSkyKnight Yes. It's very practical. One day you'll look back and wonder at the fact that you ever concerned yourself with your portable devices' capacity.
@CaptainPlanet
"YOU CAN PLAY TB'S OF DATA"
and
"YOU CAN PAY A FEW THOUSAND TO AT&T"
Air video app + a wake on lan app = heaven.
I can already do this with my nas by accessing the remote website, not that I have any need for it. Don't really see the need for a dedicated app since it would be pointless to access it on a regular basis.
@engadgetcomexcludeengadget
me2, I have done this on my synology for some time, but you have to admit an app can make it easier if you have the need
I can see it now. A world where all our data (music, programs, games, movies, etc) are stored in some sort of cloud based account. Also, all our electronics are connected to that cloud based network and theres no need for physical storage(at least not to the end-user). All we need is a signal capable of handling this sort of data anywhere in the world.
That would be amazing.
@SskyNnet
Well there goes all the porn.
@ForwardTwo
I'm 12, what's porn?
Aah crap my picture 0.o and the worst part is I can't change the picture xD. It's like being a real offender and I'm obligated to tell people.
I must use the force to cleanse my name.
Updating your QNAP is rolling the dice as far as streaming is concerned. Nearly every release they do has significant issues with their streaming software (Twonky).
@spin cycle Twonky's not made by QNAP, just licensed from the Twonky guys I believe. The twonky update that comes with 3.3.0 is working nicely for me after it was kind of broken in 3.2.x. You could always install other software as well via QPKG or manually because it's Linux :\
@spin cycle Ha. I just decided to update from 3.3.0 to 3.3.1 (stupid me!).
Before you do this you should back up (seems reasonable).
So I plug in my eSATA drive which has my previous QNAP data backups on it.
And when I click backup it says the volume can't be backed up to, it isn't ready. It says go to device management. I click that and it crashes the administrator program and makes me log in again. It does this every time.
So are there even backups on there at all? What good are they if I can't access them? Good thing I didn't need those backups.
This is the problem with QNAP. When you have a NAS, you are putting all your eggs in that basket, all my personal data, etc. And you need to be able to trust that basket. And I just can't, not when it screws up like this all the time.
Sounds sweet
video resolution pls, 720x480 would be sweet :D
gingerbread will already have this built-in so ill just wait.
Now hold on, I could do all this years ago from a dozen apps on my iPhone. What's so special about this?
@mKTank It directly accesses the QNAP NAS hardware instead of being something you have to leave running on your computer (and thus leaving your computer on all the time). Not everyone likes to do that. And no one said this app is completely groundbreaking. The same useless commentary can be leveled at anything. "Why do I need an iPod? My sandisk mp3 player plays mp3's just fine for $25", etc.
I have a QNAP NAS, I like it, its a couple years old though, and I just checked the firmware, and the newest one available (which I just got) is 3.2.....dang. and it came out just last month...which I would venture a guess that means my NAS wont be compatible with this feature...I'm not to suprised though...newer NAS' are 3 times as fast as mine...
So it won't work on the iPod Touch I stole from that kid at the playground?
I love my QNAP. It does a great job for what it is designed for (NAS.) This is a nice free update.
@gregcain So I guess the permissions not working right on SMB and the AFP being mostly broken is a "great" job to you?
@spin cycle So the fact that I'm using AFP/SMB right now with multiple user accounts on my QNAP and their working just fine is working good for me?
@spin cycle
Huh? That's the first I've heard of those issues. I'm an all Apple household, and as far as AFP being broken - well, it works for me. And the opportunities I've had to use SMB (friends, etc.), it's worked well enough.
As a comparison, my ReadyNAS was unstable, I was told to replace drives every time it would lock up, and one month out of warranty it died completely. It was a $700 brick, and I'll never buy ReadyNAS again. My QNAP (TS-509) is rock solid going on 14 months. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.
@gregcain Read the release notes for 3.3.0.
They added a feature to auto-delete these lock files that would appear on volumes and keep AFP from working.
- [AFP] Fixed AFP connection issue when AppleDB is broken (recover DB automatically)
And this is my main problem with QNAP. They don't really own their own software, they just mostly pile on other people's (and open source) software. So if it doesn't work, they just shrug, as they did with multiple releases with Twonky working worse and worse.
As to the permissions on SMB, try making a folder which some groups (but not everyone) can read and other groups can read and write. This is permissible under SMB, but I can't get it to work. Heck, the permissions work so poorly I ended up just making different volumes for different groups.
And somehow you missed that under the 3.2.X releases the "on disk" file sizes were messed up? Every file appears to be at least 528K in size on my machine (your figure was probably different), you had to copy it off to find the real size.
It just doesn't feel like a cohesive product.
Or you can use ORB
@Einlander
Have you used it? It really sucks. I only tried the free ver. and it randomly picks 3 files you can play (kidda stupid), but I can get them to stream and the quallity is so bad is not even worth it. All pixilated and choppy.
On my iPhone I used to have AirVideo. Now that is a GOOD streaming app!
Porn? Also apparently froyo doesn't consider "porn" a word thus its not in the dictionary.
@23542354 Though it's widely used, and if it isn't yet, it should be adopted into our lexicon, porn definitely started out as an abbreviation. Pornography is a word.
Yay, an Our Lady Peace fan!!
But does it play Chill Out in Paris by Buddha Bar?
Swype considers porn to be a word on android 2.1
From the app: "Note: QMobile can only play the files supported by iPhone/iPod Touch"
No MKV, xvid, DVD ISO? They blew it. AirVideo at least transcodes on the fly (and at $1.98 is a great deal)
@grub o.O you're expecting an app to stream a 5-9GB ISO over 3G? Transcoding sure, but one could always through QNAP a suggestion on this instead of instantly dismissing it. They're pretty good at listening to customers and adding in features.
- D
@Daphoid It could be an option, not everyone has terrible 3G limits. It's not an option for LAN either.
I've streamed 1080p mkv over 3G via AirVideo. Of course it transcodes down to iPhone resolution so the full file size isn't sent over the air.
Did any of you ever think this story was just a possible heads up to those that own QNAP NAS hardware that this little tool is out? Why does everyone instantly jump on the "but but Random Product X that I use does all this for me already!" bandwagon? The article isn't saying this is any better, just that its out if you happen to need it.
A lot of articles on Engadget don't pertain specifically to my needs, but they're there to read and see what's new in gadget news.
Just because you use something else to do the same task doesn't instantly mean you have to hate on everything else.
As for the app itself, I'll have to give it a go and test it out. Having something that directly links into the NAS would be handy, if I recall Apple's Remote software only works if you're on the same wifi network as the iTunes you're accessing.
As for Dropbox, it's storage capacities are way to small for my needs, my audio and video collections are between 150-750GB, not easily uploaded to Dropbox :).
As for the QNAP itself, of course you can use FreeNAS, I did for 6 years before getting a Qnap. The problems with FreeNAS is that it's meant to be run on an old computer you have lieing around that may or may not be bulky and noisy. The qnap is tiny and is the best use of space to still have access to 6 drives at once (for me anyways).
To each their own and all that.
In other news, that stuff you like? It sucks :\
- D
This is already possible with Symbian and Maemo/MeeGo, no apps required. NOW do you guys get why we say they're better than Android and iOS??
actually, with Symbian, I was using SymSMB, and with Maemo, it was supported by Mplayer and another player as well. So its an app, but not one JUST FOR STREAMING. It was in the player as a feature, and that stuff isn't news to hardcore Nokia smartphoners...
Guess I don't see much value in being able to stream "TBs of data" when carriers cap at 2 or 5 gb for 3g.
Now, get this working on Sprint's 4g WiMax that's uncapped and we'll talk.
subsonic media steamer beats the pants off this app any day.
Been doing this for months with my Seagate Dockstar with Pogoplug...