QNAP systems unveiled a new generation of network-attached storage devices that come with an embedded distribution of Linux and a BitTorrent client for facile data fetching over the net. The company's new models, the TS-109 Pro II and TS-209 Pro II feature a Marvell 500MHz CPU and 256MB of DDRII memory, as well as a high-speed BitTorrent engine.

Targeted at power users, small-office and corporate environments, the new update offers twice the power of the company's previous TS-109/209 NAS series. Both models come equipped with the new BitTorrent engine, built-in Joomla CMS (version 1.5.1) that lets users transfrom the device into a web-host, as well as the upgraded TwonkyMedia version 4.4.4 for DLNA compliant media playing.

According to the company, the sleek TS-109 Pro II and TS-209 Pro II can deliver the same peer-to-peer download speeds as a fully-fledged PC, thanks to the newly-introduced high-speed DHT mode and TCP/UDP tracker protocols. Should the ISP limit or even block the P2P traffic, users can always download an encrypted version of the BitTorrent client and install it as firmware. The downloads can also be controlled remotely via the Qget remote control software.

"Most power users are used to using PC for BT download. However, PC-based BT download is energy-consuming and the fan is always noisy," said Laurent Cheng, Product Manager from QNAP. "As the performance of embedded system improves and evolves, we strongly believe that QNAP's energy-saving Linux embedded NAS will become an alternative solution to replace PC as a download server," he continued.

The feature-reach network-attached storage appliances support multimedia sharing and are fully compatible with high-definition video sources such as Sony PS3, and Microsoft Xbox360 gaming consoles. Consumers can stream DivX videos to the gaming console directly from the NAS appliance.

The QNAP TS-109 model can accommodate a single SATA hard-disk drive for maximum 1 TB of storage capacity. However, the eSATA and USB ports allow users to connect an external HDD drive and boost the storage capacity up to 2 TB. The professional QNAP TS-209 model comes with two HDD bays and RAID 1 capabilities. The 209 model supports up to 2 TB of storage space on two hot-swappable SATA drives.