HP Now Taking Pre-Orders For MediaSmart Server

Although HP won't ship MediaSmart Server until the end of the month, starting Monday, eager users can pre-order the product on Amazon.com, Best Buy.com, Buy.com, Circuit City.com, Comp USA.com and hpshopping.com.

Allen Buckner, senior product manager for the MediaSmart Server, says HP wants to address the massive amount of pent up interest for the offering, which is one of the initial wave of products based on Windows Home Server.

Windows Home Server connects multiple PCs in the same household and , while also letting users access their digital content remotely through a 128 bit SSL connection.

In addition to "digital enthusiasts" who have several PCs and mountains of digital photos, videos, and other content, HP also expects the MediaSmart Server to garner attention in the small business market, according to Buckner.

Other hardware vendors bringing Windows Home Server-based products to market include: Fujitsu Siemens, Life|ware, Iomega, Maxdata, Medion, Tranquil, and Velocity Micro.

The MediaSmart Server comes with a 64-bit AMD Sempron processor, 512 megabytes of RAM, and either one or two 500-gigabyte serial ATA drives. Four additional USB ports on the appliance make it possible to add external hard drives for up to 6 terabytes of additional storage.

HP's MediaSmart Server is priced at $599 for a 500-gigabyte-model and $749 for a 1 terabyte model.