Networking, Storage,

Seagate's FreeAgent GoFlex Home adds flexibility to your next NAS setup

By Darren Murph

posted July 19th 2010 9:31AM

Looks like Seagate's not content with giving users a choice of connector -- the outfit's latest GoFlex apparatus utilizes a docking system to give users an easier way to upgrade their NAS. 'Course, those that really plan ahead will go ahead and grab a multi-bay device like Data Robotics' Drobo FS, but for the money, it's hard to argue with the FreeAgent GoFlex Home. Designed to work seamlessly with Windows-based PCs and Apple's Time Machine, the 1TB and 2TB devices provide a NAS dock for the drive to sit in, and the dock itself also boasts a USB port for adding external storage to the mix or sharing a printer over the network. Seagate's also tossing in its Share Pro service, which enables families to access content stored on the drive from mobile devices such as an iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry. Best of all, the $159.99 (1TB) / $229.99 (2TB) asking prices won't totally crush the bank, so it seems like you've just about run out of excuses for backing up those childhood memories.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Home

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SEAGATE DEBUTS GOFLEX HOME: EASY-TO-USE CENTRALIZED STORAGE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Wireless Backup, Sharing and Streaming of Music, Photos, Movies and More from Multiple Computers in the Home

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - July 19, 2010 - Seagate today unveiled the newest addition to its GoFlex™ family of hard drives-the GoFlex™ Home network storage system. When this easy-to-use device is connected to a wireless router, an entire household can centrally store, easily access and continuously back up files wirelessly from both Windows® and Mac OS® X operating systems on the home network. The new centralized storage system simplifies the backup process by being compatible with Apple® Time Machine®, as well as including a version of the backup application for both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. With the GoFlex Home storage system, families can also wirelessly stream photos, movies and music to most network connected DLNA devices, such as game consoles or a GoFlex™ TV HD media player, from any room in the house. With just two cable connections and a simple, illustrated, step-by-step installation tool that gets the device up and running in minutes, the GoFlex Home system solves the household storage puzzle in a snap.

Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities, the GoFlex Home storage system provides plenty of room to help safeguard precious digital memories for the whole family and is ideal for use with home laptops, netbooks, or other devices with limited storage. Unlike other single-drive network solutions, its modular design also enables the included drive to be upgraded when needed by simply removing the drive from the base (no tools required) and replacing it with a higher capacity GoFlex™ Desk hard drive. Families can also add more storage to the GoFlex Home system by simply connecting additional drives to the USB port. Additionally, this same USB port can be used to wirelessly share a USB printer with every computer on the network.

"With broadband and home networks reaching higher levels of penetration and operating at higher speeds, consumers are increasingly downloading and streaming content into their home and wanting to access that content from anywhere," said Darcy Clarkson, Seagate vice president of Retail Sales and Marketing. "The GoFlex™ Home system makes it easy for families wanting to quickly and effortlessly backup, enjoy, and share their favorite home movies music or photos from any room in the house. We spent a lot of time focusing on simplicity with this product and believe people will find it very intuitive to set-up and get started. With the GoFlex™ Home system, now home networking is within reach for today's digital households."

A recent report by In-Stat predicts the consumer network storage market will continue to grow between 25 and 50 percent over the next five years. In addition, the number of devices connected to the home network, and the number of devices that are mobile or portable, are creating desire for consumers to move in and out of their home networking environment2 with their content. Using the included remote access and file sharing service on GoFlex Home system called Seagate Share™ service, families can easily access movies, music or photo files stored on their GoFlex Home system from any internet connected computer in the world. The Seagate Share service also allows families to share photo albums, home movies and documents with friends by simply selecting the files or folders they want to share and typing in an email address. Those friends will receive a notification with a direct link to a customized webpage where they can view the shared files.

"Consumers are showing increased interest in downloading and streaming content from the Internet into the home, connecting devices in the home to social networks, and demanding easy access to content both within the household and beyond the reach of home networks," said Norm Bogen, vice president, Research, Digital Entertainment with In-Stat. "Solutions designed to help access content from multiple devices in the home, distribute it over the home network and stream to other devices and products, will be appealing to active digital media consumers."

The GoFlex Home system also offers a premium service option-the Seagate Share Pro remote access service-that allows families to access content stored on the drive from mobile devices such as an iPhone®, iPad™ or BlackBerry®, integrate photos or files with Facebook® and Flickr®, and keep friends and relatives updated with the latest shared files using Integrated RSS (Really Simple Syndication) notifications.

In addition to delivering quick and easy wireless, file access, streaming and multi-computer backup of digital files, the GoFlex Home network storage system has been designed with the cost and environmentally conscious households in mind. The GoFlex Home system also includes a power saving (idle) mode that automatically runs after 30-minutes of inactivity and a power switch that allows it to be shut off while families are away for extended periods.