Seagate’s new GoFlex line isn’t necessarily a direct replacement for Seagate’s popular FreeAgent family of external drives, but they’re certainly an upgrade. Not by way of speed or capacity (at least not specifically), but with their flexibility. Hence the “Flex” in the name. So what’s new? The complete line of drives that make up the GoFlex family feature interchangeable interface cables that’ll let you switch cables to match your ports. So whether you need a drive with a USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA connection, or running Windows or Mac (or both), all you need is a GoFlex drive and the right cable adapter.
The new GoFlex line is made up of drives that basically match Seagate’s FreeAgent models, with the 2.5-inch GoFlex ultra-portable drive and GoFlex Pro ultra-portable, and the 3.5-inch GoFlex Desk external drive. The GoFlex ultra-portable your basic portable drive, available 320GB to 1TB capacities. The Go-Flex Pro is listed with a smaller capacity range from 500GB to 750GBs, but is a more complete package with an “intelligent” desktop dock, premium backup and encryption software, and a faster 7200rpm drive. The GoFlex Desk is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities and comes with software for automated backups and encryption. All drives come with a standard USB 2.0 interface, but can be upgraded to work with USB 3.0 FireWire 800 or eSATA with additional cables.
The 2.5-inch ultra-portable drives will be available from $90 to $200, while the GoFlex Pro will sell from $140 to $190 for the 500GB and 750GB models. The GoFlex Desk will sell for $130 for 1TB and $200 for the 2TB model. The add-on cables for hooking up to USB 3.0, FireWire or eSATA ranges from $30 to $50. The Intelligent dock comes with a built-in capacity gauge and backup functions for an extra $30.
Seagate also came out with a media hub that integrates the GoFlex features called the GoFlex TV HD media player. It’s basically a dock that plugs into a TV to let you play media stored on a GoFlex portable drive or USB drive. The TV HD media player supports 1080p HD video playback via an HDMI cable, Dolby Digital and DTS audio, and a flush range of media formats including DivX, Real’s RMVB, MKV, Flac audio, and Windows Media video and audio files. The media player will ship by early June for $130.
Tags: External Hard Drives, GoFlex, Portable Hard Drives, Seagate, Storage
