Seagate Makes Interchangeable Work in Favor of Consumers
We have been a fan of Seagate’s hard drives and data storage for some time as we feel their products have held up remarkably well, so we felt fortunate to get our hands on a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 500 GB USB 2.0 Ultra-Portable External Hard Drive.
Interchangeable
The GoFlex FreeAgent is an ultra-portable drive which connects to any other GoFlex Storage System cable or device. This will be great news for all you diehard Seagate fans. However, the best part about the new GoFlex is the interchangeable “personality cables” that allow the user to decide which ports you need to attach to. Though you could argue the “personality cables” cost more, they also allow you the option to purchase only what you need and the flexibility to upgrade in the future if you so choose. We found this to be a compelling reason enough to buy.
The design of the GoFlex Portable External Hard Drive to be pretty smart, as the black plastic is matte on the bottom both to prevent scratches and from sliding around. Though we love the look of the usual shiny plastic, we hate our fingers that smudge and make every device look dreadful. The FreeAgent is a small device that easily fits in the palm of your hand, with the enclosure fitting a separate USB connector piece that plugs directly into the SATA connectors of the hard drive itself. The drives themselves come in either the Pro or non-Pro models, basically a difference in drive speed between 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM. Paired with the super-fast, if not widely available, USB 3.0 ability, we have a winner.
Compatible with Macs or PCs, we were able to add a GoFlex USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA interface cable. The hard drive itself is preloaded with simple backup and file encryption software and when paired with a cable it acts as a normal external hard drive. Windows 7 automatically recognized the drive and installed the compatible drivers. The setup was simple and fast with no hassle.
Not only that, you can use the drive in combination with the other GoFlex gadgets: the GoFlex TV HD media player or Net Media Sharing Device. Memeo backup software is also included. We always appreciate doing away with installer CDs and bundling all the software installer files you need directly on the drive so you have them anytime you need. We weren’t too thrilled about the short USB cable provided, but luckily you can always swap it out for a longer one.
We were disappointed that Seagate didn’t offer a longer warranty, as on many of their products- this one comes with a shorter two years. According to product specs, the FreeAgent is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP (32-bit & 64-bit) operating system or Max OS X 10.4.6 Tiger or higher, 10.5 Leopard or 10.6 Snow Leopard. Reformatting for Mac may be instructed.
We feel the GoFlex FreeAgent is well worth the money for the value, and can be purchased from Amazon for under $100. It is also worth mentioning there are other colors available and a variety of capacities from 320GB all the way up to 1TB, and that the extra cables will cost a bit extra (but are a primary reason to opt for these models). It’s also a perfect drive for those with USB 3.0-capable computers (and you know who you are, as the technology has yet to be widely adopted).
For those in the market for a larger, less-portable drive consider the FreeAgent Desk. We previously tried out the Mac version, though it also comes in a Windows 7 compatible flavor. At this price and size range, it fits a small niche between portable hard drives and true NAS devices- a slightly uncomfortable niche. We loved having that much space, but would have preferred it be network-accessible. Of course, those who edit video or go through a lot of RAW images will enjoy the fairly compact design and massive storage potential. You can stand it upright, or lie it down flat, and the software works between all of the different Seagate Go drives (and is easy to use).
