Dropbox and Google Drive may be all the rage these days, but some people don't trust their data to such overlords. Cloud? Cloud! I'll host my own files, thank you very much. It's not too difficult anymore. Those that own a Synology NAS will be happy to know that a whole host of updates have rolled out to make accessing and managing files from Android all the better. These improvements coincide with the release of Synology's DiskStation Manager 4.3 beta.

Major Updates

DS audio and DS photo+ have received big 3.0 updates. Lets tackle these in order, shall we? First, DS audio provides an interface for streaming music from your personal cloud to any of your Android devices. The update bumps the interface up to 4.x and adds the ability to download music for offline listening. Album covers are now displayed while browsing, and playlist management has been expanded.

DS photo+ is the easiest way to access photos stored on your Synology NAS. The updated version improves the overall browsing experience and adds support for Google TV.

DS audio:

  • A new sleek theme and an “Android 4.x” interface for the Phone version
  • Songs can now be downloaded for Offline listening
  • Album covers are displayed when browsing
  • Complete playlist management (create, edit and delete)
  • “By Composer” now added to browse your library
  • A mini-player always accessible on the Phone version
  • Songs stop when speakers are unplugged
  • Login settings give you total control over remembering login credentials, as well as been logged in automatically

DS photo+:

  • Now available on Google TV
  • Browse any Smart album, Tag, as well as Category you have created in Photo Station
  • Login settings give you complete control over remembering login credentials, as well as being logged in automatically
  • Sub-album names are now displayed in thumbnail mode
  • Filters have been added to quickly search photo names and tags
  • Minor bug fixes
DS audio Developer: Synology Inc.
Price: Free
2.6
Download
DS photo Developer: Synology Inc.
Price: Free
2.8
Download

Minor Updates

Synology has made smaller updates to its DS cloud and DS video apps. The former now lets users select SD cards for syncing. The latter now supports viewing user-defined libraries. It does has known limitations to watch out for, such as the lack of subtitles when streaming to a DLNA TV.

DS cloud:

  • Your Android device’s SD card can now be selected to sync files
  • Folders on the Android device’s SD card can now be selected to sync their contents with folders on the DiskStation
  • Minor bug fixes

DS video:

  • View user-defined libraries (requires Video Station 1.2 Beta)
  • Minor bugs fixes Known limitations and issues:
  • No display of subtitles when streaming to a DLNA TV
  • When updating to DS video 1.2 from an older version, the login history will be deleted to avoid any security concern
DS cloud Developer: Synology Inc.
Price: Free
1.7
Download
DS video Developer: Synology Inc.
Price: Free
3.2
Download

Bug Fixes

Synology's also squashed a few bugs in its DS cam and DS download apps. DS cam is an app for monitoring security cameras, while the latter, unsurprisingly, is a download manager.

DS cam

  • Minor bug fixes

DS download

  • Fixed an issue where error messages would keep on popping up on certain tablets in landscape mode
  • Minor bug fixes
DS cam Developer: Synology Inc.
Price: Free
3.3
Download
DS get Developer: Synology Inc.
Price: Free
3.7
Download

Beta Program

Still with me? Good. I'll keep this short. DiskStation Manager 4.3 is the updated interface for interacting with your private cloud. The new version lets users hand-select which files they want to keep synched across multiple devices, and Synology is rolling out a Linux client as well. There are also improvements to both the Photo Station (like a new mosaic-like viewing format) and the Video Station (such as support for Roku TV).

Other DiskStation Manager 4.3 features:

  • Offload Data Transfer (ODX) - Increases iSCSI storage performance when used with Windows 2012 Servers
  • SSD caching from any tray in XS and XS+ models - Expand the pool of fast access data by using spare bays for SSD caching.
  • Full Link Aggregation Support with Synology High Availability (SHA) - Enables significantly faster communication between SHA clusters.
  • Now Cloud Station backup saves the portion of a file that has been changed, making for more efficient use of your storage
  • ­Folder level link sharing. Generate a direct download link for individual files or whole folders.
  • New mobile apps - New interfaces and features for iOS, and Android. Now Windows phone System users can get almost all of the same features and benefits as Android and iOS.

DiskStation Manager 4.3 is now entering public beta. Anyone with a Synology NAS is free to download the necessary packages. Synology will give away a Synology DS213air to up to three users within 10 days of the end of the program.

Source: Synology