Qnap comes with two home NAS systems that run Android

Qnap releases two NAS intended for home use. The TAS-168 and TAS-268 run Linux-based QTS as well as Android. The Android platform can be accessed by linking the nasses to a screen via HDMI.

The difference between the two versions is in the number of hard disks: the TAS-168 can accommodate one disk and the TAS-268 two. The latter can also run in raid 0, 1, jbod or single disk mode. No tools are required to install a hard drive and the devices can be connected directly to a TV via HDMI. Besides the difference in disk number, the hardware is identical in terms of hardware. Both have a 1.1GHz dual-core arm processor, 2GB DDR3 memory and 4GB flash storage. The hard disk to be installed must be 3.5″ in size, support SATA and may contain a maximum of 6TB of storage space per disk.

The whole thing runs on QTS 4.1 embedded Linux. In addition, a modified version of Android is installed, Android Station, to play multimedia files on TVs, use various Android apps and surf the web. The Android system starts automatically when the NAS is connected to a TV via HDMI. It is not entirely clear which Android version the system is running, although various sources report that it would be Android 4.4.4.

The other hardware consists of a gigabit Ethernet port, a USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports. The TAS-168 measures 187.7x60x125mm and the TAS-268 is three centimeters wider at 187.7x90x125mm. The noses weigh 1.74 and 1.88 kg respectively. In addition to the devices themselves, an infrared remote control is also included.

The NAS would be available immediately in the US and Canada, although prices are not yet known.