Planex
Latest
Planex capacitive stylus mocks Steve Jobs, all the way to the bank
In the past, our coverage of Planex has largely been relegated to storage devices and wireless access points, but now the company has entered one of the most exciting businesses of all: breaking poor Steve Jobs's heart. That's right, the company has meddled with the natural order of the universe by releasing new smartphone styli. They come in two colors -- black and white, naturally -- and two lengths: 4.2- or 1.6-inches, with soft rubber tips measuring 8mm and 9mm, respectively. The pens will run you ¥1,200 ($15) or ¥1,000 ($12), which is more or less on par with the current suggested price of the Pogo sketch stylus -- well, that plus airfare to Japan to pick one of these things up. But hey, it still beats a hunk of deli meat, right?
Planex MZK-SNG02US brings DLNA to your SD cards and USB drives
Not looking to go all out with a DLNA-ready NAS or dedicated media player to get some streaming started on your home network? Then you might be able to get by with something like Planex's new MZK-SNG02US device, which packs a single USB port and an SD card slot, and basically acts as DLNA-enabled bridge between your storage media and your router. Unfortunately, it looks like this one is only available in Japan at the moment, and its ¥8,000 (or $95) price tag places it a bit closer to some of those aforementioned dedicated devices than we would have liked. We're guessing that will get knocked down a bit if and when it's released (and most likely rebadged) over here, though.
Planex DigiJuke NAS snags YouTube and BitTorrent video -- jams it down the Wii, Xbox 360, iPod... and throat of MPAA
Here it is copyright bandits, the single biggest reason (besides silicone) to make a Hollywood studio notice you: the MZK-NAS02SG1T network attached storage device from Planex. The main selling point behind the ¥54,799 (about $524) 1TB Gigabit Ethernet block is the claim to "universal access" for all your devices. That little trick comes courtesy of its DigiJuke browser for searching and tagging the BitTorrent and YouTube content you want downloaded in the appropriate PSP and iPod (MPEG-4), Wii (FLV), or TV (MPEG-2) format for in-home or on-the-go viewing. The NAS also streams audio and video to your iTunes laptops or desktops, DLNA TV, Xbox 360, or other compliant device in the home. A front-facing USB 2.0 jack offers one-touch dubbing of USB sticks while a second around back offers ready storage expansion. It ships with a pair of 3.5-inch 500GB drive which you can swap out for higher capacity spinners at a later date. That is if the studios don't shut you down first.[Via Impress]
Planex MZ-04G router sports USB, BitTorrent compatibility
External P2P clients with a hint of NAS aren't unheard of, but it's still refreshing to see a new face joining the relatively small clan. Planex's MZ-04 takes a four-port gigabit Ethernet router, throws in wireless functionality, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and gives the BitTorrent savvy the ability to hook up an external HDD and keep those downloads / uploads rolling through the night even when the PC catches some shut eye. Additionally, the firm suggests that customers could take advantage of the iTunes server function to stream music via Ethernet / WiFi, and the obvious NAS characteristics and PlayStation 3-compatibility are nice touches as well. Unfortunately, we've no idea how soon (or not) this feature-packed router will hit store shelves, but here's to hoping it makes the journey to American soil.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Planex intros Jack in the Box iTunes/DLNA media server
Looks like Planex is joining Princeton, Buffalo, and others in talking up the iTunes/DLNA capabilities of its NAS media servers, tossing in some added branding for good measure with its new Jack in the Box unit. Like Princeton's offering, Planex's will require you to supply your own hard drive, although it takes things one step further with room for two 3.5-inch SATA drives (up to 750GB each), with support for RAID 0 or 1 configurations. Like some of Planex's other NAS servers, this one also promises to play nice with BitTorrent, with its own client taking some of the load off your PC. Rounding things out, you'll also get a built-in SD/MMC card slot, which you can use to offload data at the touch of a button. Look for this one to hit Japan later this month for ¥39,800, or about $334.[Via Impress]
Planex's 750GB+ NAS server and BitTorrent client: make a label hate you
Planex loves 'em some BitTorrent so they're bringing us another network attached storage device with that copyright stompin' preload. The NAS-01G can be configured with up to 750GB of hot Seagate 'cuda 7200.10 disk (model NAS-01G750) or shipped as a shell for you to slot in any 3.5-inch SATA spinner of your choosing. Need more? Then go ahead and sling a few more disks off the 2x USB 2.0 jacks -- Planex won't mind, their NAS unit packs gigabit Ethernet to push that data around the home network on the quick. But make no mistake boy, it'll churn through torrents just fine without the need for your power-hungry PC or Mac soaking up the amperage all night. Save the environment and piss off a major label... good times. The NAS-01G750 is on sale now in Japan (with optional English firmware) for ¥82,000 or about $675. [Via Impress]
Asus and Planex unveil snazzy new WAPs
With all this 802.11n hubbub going on, it's refreshing to see a trio of new 802.11b/g wireless access points that have set out to make the WiFi goodness we're used to even better. Planex Communication's GW-AP54SP-P (pictured after the jump) is a two-port WAP that supports automatic power-on functionality when detecting wireless activity, bridge / repeater capability, WPA2 support, and of course, up to 54Mbps transfer speeds. Meanwhile, Asus' latest power duo -- the WL-320gE and WL-320gP -- reportedly provide "up to 850 meters" of open space coverage thanks to their 5dBi high-gain antennas; they also sport SNMP to allow system administrators to manage multiple APs from remote locations, and somehow managed to pass the FCC's oh-so-restrictive transmission guidelines as well. The WL-320gP goes one step further by incorporating power over ethernet (compliant with 802.3af) to "eliminate the hassle of locating a power source." While pricing and release date information wasn't readily available, it's probably safe to assume these WAPs won't demand the same premium as those 802.11n-compatible alternatives -- and at least this trio operates on a standardized protocol, eh?Read - Planex Communication's GW-AP54SP-P Read - Asus' WL-320gE / WL-320gP
Planex PL-35U2BS enclosure will combine two 500GB drives to 1TB
While it isn't the first dual-bay enclosure that we've seen, the Planex PL-35U2BS is among the first SATAII dual-bay (or "dual-core", if you prefer) enclosures that we've spied. It'll support up to 1TB of storage, by taking a pair of 500GB drives and striping 'em with some RAID 0 action, and will connect to the PC of your choice via USB 2.0. Not enough? The aluminum casing claims to keep your hard drives both thermally and aesthetically cool. That's right: twice the coolness.
BitTorrent clients coming to NASes and routers: PC-less downloads for all
First came the trickle, now the flood. See, BitTorrent is expected to announce 7 routers and 2 NAS storage devices with built-in BitTorrent clients sometime today. Asus will be adding two additional BitTorrent capable routers with 5 more on the way from Planex set to undermine the ethics of Japan. QNAP then, will bring the necessary networked disk with a couple of BitTorrent-enabled NAS servers. Look MPAA, RIAA, we know this isn't how you'd like to start your Monday but just look at the brightside: it's an environmentally friendly way for the kids to be kids since now their PCs won't be running all the time. Hell, we'll even provide ya a list of products for the injuction since it's doubtful you'll find a "made for BitTorrrent" logo anywhere on the box: Asus WL-500gP and WL-500gW routers, the Planex BRC-W14VG-BT, BRC-14VG-BT, BRC-W14V-BT, BLW-HPMM-U, and BLW-HPMM-G routers, and the QNAP TS-101 (pictured) and QNAP TS-201 NAS servers. The ASUS and QNAP boxes will be available Stateside with the TS-101 sporting an eSATA intereface, 3x USB 2.0 ports, and gigabit Ethernet interface for about $279. It certainly won't stop here (without legal intervention) since the client in many cases -- like the TS-101 -- is just a firmware update away. Look, why fight it, let the people embrace their legal right to download copyrighted material, uh, in Holland.
