Acer Aspire easyStore Server ($500)

Acer, the third largest vendor in the PC market, announced the new Acer Aspire easyStore H340 Server for customers in Canada. Designed for households and small businesses with multiple PCs, Aspire easyStore offers a simple way to network computers, centralize, share and protect digital data as well as access it remotely from anywhere in the world.

Outfitted with Microsoft Windows
Home Server, the Aspire easyStore offers many benefits. For example, parents can access their children’s homework while traveling for business. They can also upload videos and photos from sports events or summer vacations to the server, even while away from home. At any time, from anywhere, every family member, business owner or employee with a PC in the network can access photos, videos, music and office documents from the server. This centralization of digital data saves significant time by eliminating the need to transfer data from one PC to another, every time someone wants a photo, video, spreadsheet or other document that’s stored on another PC.

It’s also a safeguard. If a netbook or notebook is damaged, lost or stolen, users don’t lose their data along with it, since it’s backed up at home or at the office. In addition, when a new system is added to the network, it’s quick and easy to upload data from the computer to the server. Up to 10 PCs can be connected to Aspire easyStore.

“A significant pain point for people is how to consolidate and protect their digital data that’s spread among multiple devices,” said Sumit Agnihotry, Vice President of Product Marketing for Acer America. “Aspire easyStore is the ideal solution for networking PCs and providing round the clock data protection. Offering remote access to data at home or at the office from anywhere in the world and automatic daily back-ups, it’s the perfect companion to netbooks and notebooks. It’s an extremely practical and affordable way to simplify and manage one’s digital life.”

“It’s great to have Acer as a valued partner for Microsoft’s Windows Home Server in Canada. Acer’s solution gives consumers new options for purchasing Microsoft Windows Home Server. And Acer’s reputation as a key contributor in the PC and consumer electronics field further demonstrates the industry’s commitment to this growing product category,” said Kevin Kean, General Manager, Windows Home and Small Business Server Group at Microsoft.

Small and Stylish Design, Significant Storage Capacity
Smaller than standard servers, the handsome black tower measures just 8.3-inches (H) x 7.8-inches (W) x 7.08-inches (L). HDD status LEDs emanate a soft blue light and complement the handsome black bezel. The power button is located on top for easy access and reach. One-touch USB copy enables quick file uploading. Users just plug in the USB device and push the button. The data is automatically sorted and stored by file type into designated folders.

Outfitted with an Intel Atom processor 230 and 2GB DDR2 memory, the Aspire easyStore H340 Server has the guts to organize and back-up files quickly. The 1TB hard drive and three hot-swappable hard drive bays available for storage expansion provide enough room for filing, storing and backing-up a vast library of songs, videos, photos, games and documents.

The hot swappable HDD cage enables users to increase their data storage, by adding up to three 3.5-inch internal hard drives, which means it offers up to 7TB of total data storage. The cage is outfitted with release levers for each drive to keep them secure. In addition, a recovery/reset pinhole provides additional data protection by enabling system restores and data recoveries with just one-touch.

The server works with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) 1.5 Certified Home Server (DMS) and digital media player (DMP) to enable music playback as well as photo and video viewing on a TV. For internet security, Aspire easyStore comes with a 60-day free trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite 2008.

Windows Home Server
Simplifies Computing, Enables Remote Access
Microsoft Windows Home Server centralizes digital media in one location, making it easy to access files, photos, videos and music from any PC on the network. It also protects critical data by creating an image-based backup of every computer every day, so users can restore a single file or an entire PC. With Windows Home Server, users can access the network from the office, at home or the road, for full access to their files and applications.

Specs:

• Intel Atom Processor 230 (1.6GHz)
• Microsoft Windows Home Server
• 2GB DDR2 Memory
• 1TB Hard Drive
• Three Empty Hot Swappable Hard Drive Bays
• Five USB 2.0 Ports
• One eSATA Port
• 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• 200 Watt Power Supply
• RJ-45 LAN Port

Specifications, Pricing and Availability
The Acer Aspire easyStore H340-UA230N Server is now available at various retail and distribution partners in Canada for a MSRP of $499.99.