Introduction One of the first devices to draw our attention at this year’s Computex event was this particular NAS unit. Generally speaking, Shuttle had a lovely booth and this KD20 was one of the central pillars to draw a crowd. Obviously skeptical, as we’ve tested plenty of 2 bay units from the veterans in the past, we couldn’t just resist inquiring about their new junior in the NAS game. 30 minutes and a full tour of the booth later, we decided we just had to test it. Both on the software …
We all remember the award winning Nest Learning Thermostatlaunched less than a year ago , and we are happy to see its even more elegant successor, Nest Second-gen. Slimmer and with a slightly re-designed hardware (the inside particularly), the new Learning Thermostat offers a number of cool features, including two additional languages (Spanish and French in addition to English), version 3.0 of its software, increased compatibility with low voltage residential heating and cooling systems (from 75% to 95% of the systems on the market) and improved energy saving capabilities.
The Shuttle OMNINAS KD20 is the company’s first NAS server. It features a pair of hot-swappable drive bays that can hold 3.5-inch HDDs (hard disk drives) with capacities of up to 4 TB each. The Shuttle OMNINAS KD20 supports RAID-1 mode (mirroring, for high data security), RAID-0 (striping and JBOD modes. The OMNINAS KD20 NAS server also features an 80mm fan for cooling, an I/O panel with one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader and Gigabit Ethernet. [Akihabara]
Data backups come in all shapes and sizes. For some, they take the form of external hard drives or a slice of the amorphous cloud. As for Facebook, its upcoming solution is low-power deep-storage hardware contained within a 62,000 square-foot building in Prineville, Oregon near its existing Beaver State data center. Unofficially referred to as “Sub-Zero,” the facility will store a copy of the social network’s data in case its primary servers need to be restored in an emergency. Rather than continuously power HDDs that are only occasionally used, the new setup can conserve energy by lighting-up drives just when they’re needed. One of the company’s existing server racks eats up around 4.5 kilowatts, while those at Sub-Zero are each expected to consume approximately 1.5 kilowatts once they’re up and running. Tom Furlong, Facebook’s vice president of site operations, told Wired that there are hopes to create a similar structure alongside the firm’s North Carolina data center. Since the Prineville project is still being planned, Zuckerberg & Co. have roughly six to nine months to suss out all the details before your photos are backed up at the new digs.
More Facebook news, but this time we’re back to the numbers instead of reporting on a new feature, improvement or integration. As part of its mission to swap the familiar blue for something of a greener tinge, Facebook released today its carbon footprint and overall energy usage figures for 2011. Turning bio-babble into easy visualizations, the company points out that for the whole year, an active user occupied roughly the same carbon footprint as one medium latte. Or, if you’re a fan of the tipple, a couple of glasses of wine. Impressively, 23 percent of the social giant’s energy usage came from clean and renewable sources, which puts it well on the way to its 2015 target of 25 percent or more. If you’d like more info and a complete breakdown of the stats, the full report is available at the source link below.
We’ve seen more than a few energy monitors, but how many of them offer a pretty light show on the side? The EnergyBuddy — first unveiled as a prototype at CES but just now inching toward a full launch — is a complete home energy-tracking system brought to you by Cali-based startup FutureDash. Starting at $99, it keeps tabs on users’ energy consumption with a square-shaped gadget that connects to your network via WiFi or Ethernet. The square glows red, yellow or green depending on how much electricity you’re guzzling, and you have the ability to specify what qualifies as acceptable usage.
Naturally, the EnergyBuddy has a few peripherals in tow. A sensor installed at your electrical panel communicates with the rest of the system, and so-called Smart Plugs let you track the energy consumption of individual devices. The iPhone, iPad and desktop apps also offer some pretty in-depth stats, including dollars per hour spent on energy and a chart detailing consumption throughout the day. FutureDash is currently pushing the product on crowd-funding site Indiegogo, and though availability is TBD, you can take a peek at the system in our hands-on video below.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
