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Seagate's GoFlex TV and FreeAgent Theater+ HD media players get iPhone, iPad and iPod remote control app
Too busy to fiddle with another remote while your iPod touch / iPad / iPhone is already cozily tucked between your arm and chest? Seagate hears you, and it's just pushed out a new app that'll transform its bundled remotes into fantastic doorstops for those that adore iOS. The TV Remote app enables any new iOS device to control the functions of Seagate's GoFlex TV and FreeAgent Theater+ HD media players, and since it relies on WiFi, you need not worry over line-of-sight considerations. You'll also be able to use iOS' keyboard to input test into search fields on YouTube, Netflix and Pandora (just to name a few), and users will gain the ability to surf through entire media library (provided you've got an HDD connected to your media player) right on your iDevice. Hit the source link to get the download going, but make sure you update the firmware on your box before giving it a go.
Dockstar FreeAgent hacked into inexpensive emulation masterpiece (video)
Hello, multipurpose! Seagate's Pogoplug-based FreeAgent DockStar -- at least at a glance -- isn't much good to those who aren't buying up DockStar HDDs. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll realize that this minuscule adapter packs a 1.2GHz Marvell processor, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM. There's also a smattering of USB ports and an Ethernet socket; add that all up, and you've got a hacker's playground. One Hunter Davis decided to see just how much he could squeeze out of this here peripheral, which can be widely found for as little as $25 nowadays. Thanks to a copy of Debian Linux, a good bit of programming know-how, a DisplayLink USB-to-VGA adapter and a USB sound adapter, he was able to concoct a homegrown emulation console that could handle nearly everything he threw at it. 'Course, you'll have to spring for those other parts if you don't have a house full of random doodads, but once he figures out how to install a battery and make the entire setup portable... look out! Head on past the break for an in-action video.
Seagate issues industry's first 1.5TB external 2.5-inch HDD: FreeAgent GoFlex USB 3.0
Look out, world -- Seagate's got a new portable hard drive comin' your way, and it's as capacious as ever. If you'll recall, Western Digital broke the 1TB mark in the diminutive 2.5-inch drive sector back in July of last year, and now we're seeing a 50 percent boost with the 1.5TB FreeAgent GoFlex ultra-portable drive. The company's claims that this is a first of its kind, and we certainly aren't in the mood to argue. It's designed to play nice with both Macs and PCs (it's formatted as NTFS), and better still, it's all set up to take advantage of that shiny new USB 3.0 port on your shiny new laptop. As with the other GoFlex gear, this one also has a removable dongle on the bottom for docking (with an optional GoFlex Net or GoFlex TV HD, naturally), and as with some of the company's past drives, you'll also find an assortment of 20 Paramount Pictures movies that can be unlocked via license key online. She's available in every color you could imagine so long as it's black, and it can be yours for the tidy sum of $249.99. %Gallery-102591%
Seagate's FreeAgent GoFlex Home adds flexibility to your next NAS setup
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. %Gallery-97737%
Seagate busts out 3TB external hard drive for $250
Yeah, you heard that right. As of today, those among us who value quantity over speed in our storage can buy a whole trifecta of terabytes in one solitary package. Seagate has just unveiled the FreeAgent GoFlex Desk (did they have the teenage intern name this thing?), which is the first 3.5-inch drive to store quite so much data. It also comes with a USB 2.0 adapter that can be upgraded to USB 3.0 or Firewire 800, depending on your preference (and cash reserves). Priced at $250, this record-busting storage hub is available to buy today direct from Seagate. Full PR after the break.
Seagate introduces new GoFlex range: multi-port HDDs, media players, etc.
We all knew Seagate's FreeAgent line couldn't hang around forever, and tonight the storage mainstay has revealed the next logical step for the line. The GoFlex family is one of the more varied ranges out there from any hard drive maker, with the primary intent on the HDD side being to create drives (ranging from 320GB to 2TB) that are friendly with both Macs and PCs (simultaneously) while also giving users the ability to upgrade their connection or switch it out depending on what workstation they interface with. The new crew supports USB 2.0 out of the box, though upgrading to USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA can be accomplished via the new GoFlex cable system. Also launched today is the GoFlex TV HD media player, which essentially acts as a liaison between your tele and your media, regardless of whether it's stored locally, on the LAN or on the internet. Moving on, there's the GoFlex Net media sharing device, which transforms any USB mass storage device into one that's happy to pump out content via the 'net -- think Pogoplug, and you've pretty much got the idea. It looks as if the whole crew will be available for purchase starting this week, with the full list of details and prices just beyond the break. %Gallery-92290%
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player gains Netflix streaming
Seagate's FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player has quite a few competitors surrounding it, and for the most part, it didn't really offer a huge competitive advantage when we peeked it back in September. 'Course, that's before support for Netflix's Watch Instantly came along, and today, the tables seem to have turned. The aforesaid storage outfit has announced that a gratis firmware update will enable this here player to stream Netflix as well as content from YouTube, vTuner and Mediafly. For those just now willing to give this unit a second look, it also doubles as a UPnP / DLNA streamer to play content stored on networked PCs and drives, and it can procured for right around $100 sans a FreeAgent HDD. So, Roku -- you just going to sit there and take this, or what? %Gallery-91131%
Seagate teams with Paramount, pre-loads movies onto 500GB FreeAgent Go
Another fine day in paradise, another fine external hard drive for archivists to consider. Seagate has just announced its latest FreeAgent Go USB 2.0 drive, a pocket-sized external HDD with a 2.5-inch 500GB disc in there ready to be stuffed with your favorite blurred images and shakycam videos from the decade that was... except for the 20GB or so that's already claimed. In a move that may or may not be indicative of forward progress in the fight to free digital content, Seagate has partnered with Paramount Pictures in order to pre-load these drives with Star Trek (yes, the 2009 version), which can be unlocked gratis and shuffled about as you please after you register the drive. Additionally, 20 other titles are pre-loaded, and those guys can be "easily and securely unlocked through the online purchase of a license key," with pricing ranging from $9.99 to $14.99 per film. We had an opportunity to fire up Star Trek, and we must say -- the whole unlocking process was pretty painless on a Windows 7 rig. We didn't splurge on a third ninth copy of Nacho Libre, but we're pretty sure that masterpiece would be similarly easy to tap into. Oh, and if you'd rather just have free space rather than movies you already own / couldn't care less about, the delete command works wonders. %Gallery-89866%
Seagate gets NASty with Pogoplug-based FreeAgent DockStar: hands-on
Hard to believe this is Seagate's first consumer NAS offering (keyword being "consumer"), but sure enough, the FreeAgent DockStar is the company's first major effort to get its own line of FreeAgent Go hard drives onto your network. Without getting into too much detail, this simple dock is essentially a Pogoplug with a built-in cradle for one's FreeAgent Go USB (read: not FireWire) HDD. Thankfully, a trifecta of USB 2.0 sockets are littered about the edges, ensuring that at least three standard USB drives can also be connected and accessed over the web. We've yet to have a chance to put this bugger through its paces, but since we know all about the underlying technology, you can probably learn everything you need to know from our Pogoplug review. For those who'd rather opt for a Seagate'd version of an already available product, this DockStar is shipping today for $99.99. Oh, and we should mention that it comes with a year of the Pogoplug service, but after that, you'll be shelling out $29.99 per year for unlimited sharing and remote access.In related news, Seagate is also introducing three new capacities for its FreeAgent Go family. In addition to the 250GB, 320GB, 500GB and 640GB versions already out there, the range will now include a 750GB, 880GB and 1TB version. Too bad no pricing or release details are available on those, but we'll be keeping an eye out.%Gallery-73065%%Gallery-73143%
Seagate launches FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player, we go hands-on
Remember when Seagate introduced its Betamax-esque FreeAgent Theater HD way back at CES this year? Of course not -- you were locked onto the Palm Pre keynote. At any rate, the next generation of that very device somehow made it through the product development stage and now sits in our very hands, and we have to say, it's no more modern in person than it is in press shots. Equipped with the usual assortment of ports (HDMI, component, composite, Toslink, Ethernet and two USB) ports, the FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player gets all of its content from a FreeAgent Go USB 2.0 hard drive (sold separately or in a bundle) or whatever you shove into those USB sockets. You can count on 1080p output and a pretty standard UI, and while it's wired-or-die right now, Seagate's hoping to pop out a USB WiFi adapter ($69.99) for it next month. We've yet to really put this player through its paces, but we can say for sure that it's not made for abuse. The mostly-plastic box is staggeringly light, and one drop from atop your AV rack could lead to utter disaster. Furthermore, this is really only useful for those wound tightly around Seagate's finger; the bulk of its functionality relies on having a FreeAgent USB drive at your disposal, and if you've selected any other portable HDD, you'll have to deal with connecting it the old fashion way and ditching the "clean look." At $149.99 sans an HDD, it's one of the cheaper options on the market, but it still can't beat Popcorn Hour's heralded lineup when it comes to value and format support. Those looking for an all-in-one deal can opt for the $289.99 bundle, which throws in a 500GB FreeAgent Go drive. Have a look at retro exemplified in the gallery below.%Gallery-72906%
Seagate introduces FreeAgent Go Dock+ with powered USB hub
We have no idea why Seagate buried this in a warmed-over press release touting rehashed FreeAgent for Mac drives, but there's a new $40 FreeAgent Go Dock+ that doubles as a powered three-port USB hub. Pretty convenient if you're into the whole FreeAgent Go lifestyle, we'd say, but we're sticking with our versatile bareback SATA docks.
Seagate's FreeAgent Go series bumped to 640GB
Seagate's giving its FreeAgent Go drives a fresh new 640GB capacity ceiling, and while it's not the first external to cross that 500GB threshold, it's certainly on the thinner end of the totem pole, physically. Nothing revolutionary here otherwise, it's still the standard USB-connected with up to 480Mbps transfer with multiple color options. Also distinctly the norm? Not a bit of info on pricing or availability, but if Seagate's posting promotional materials on its main site, we suspect it's not too far off.[Via Slashgear]
Engadget's recession antidote: FreeAgent Go hard drive for your Mac!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a FreeAgent Go 320GB hard drive plus dock on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Special thanks to Seagate for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one Seagate FreeAgent Go hard drive and dock. Approximate value is $180. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, April 2nd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Seagate expands FreeAgent Go line with yet more color options
Seagate kicked out a couple of FreeAgent Go hard drives a few months back, but it's now gone all out and let loose an even more colorful batch in the hope of attracting a bit more attention among holiday shoppers -- as usual, Festivus revelers luck out year 'round with the ever-present, aluminum pole-matching silver option. From the looks of it, the drives are still available in the same 250GB, 320GB, and 500GB capacities as before for $120, $150, and $200, respectively, and those that register their drives between November 28th and New Year's day will get a bonus multimedia package including 50 free songs from eMusic and some other goodies. You can also pick up a desktop docking station separately for $30, just don't expect to get it in matching colors.[Via Electronista]
Seagate's FreeAgent drives get official, Go Desk EXtreme
Seagate just officially announced what we already told you about last month: they're shedding brown with the introduction of the thoroughly redesigned FreeAgent series of external storage devices. Things break down into USB 2.0 PC and USB+Firewire Mac flavors for both the multi-colored, portable FreeAgent Go Drives ($240 for up to 500GB plus $30 for optional docking station and carrying case) and home-based FreeAgent Desk Drives ($270 for up to 1TB). A higher-performing 7,200rpm FreeAgent XTreme Drive tosses in an eSATA jack to complement the USB 2.0 and Firewire 400 ports in capacities up to 1TB ($230). Both the XTreme and Desk drives will hit 1.5TB capacities starting next month. Macheads happy with USB 2.0 and suitably skilled to reformat a hard disk will want to examine prices closely: while the Go and Desk Drives for Macs list for $10 and $40, respectively, more than their PC brethren (for the value-add of Firewire 800/400 jacks and an OS X pre-formatting), the 1.5TB FreeAgent Desk Drive for Macs is expected to list for an unexplained $70 premium over the $280 PC version when it ships in October.%Gallery-31907%
Seagate dumps brown, gets Mac happy with leaked FreeAgent disks
We have it from a highly trusted source that Seagate is working on a new line of stylish hard drives. Oh hey, what do you know, there they are pictured above. You're looking at a few of the next generation FreeAgent storage devices from Seagate. While unannounced, the drive on the left is a likely FreeAgent Desktop replacement while the drive on the right looks to either augment or replace the FreeAgent Go series with its thinner profile and docking port. Instead of traditional Seagate-brown, these drives will ultimately ship in several colors (grey, black, and silver at launch time) including red, green, gold, pink, and more. Speeds will start at 5,400RPM before moving towards 7,200RPM sometime down the road with at least one drive shipping Mac-ready -- Windows, not Mac users will have the privilege of reformatting the disk for use. We expect to hear an announcement for these drives as well as a new FreeAgent XTreme disk for gamers and speed-freaks sometime in September.Update: Regarding those "holes," they're actually glowing blue lights, illuminated only when the unit's on -- the air vents are located on the back.
Seagate introduces new BlackArmor secure hard drive, Pipeline DVR drives, new FreeAgents
Seagate busted out a slew of new storage gear today, including the new 160GB BlackArmor portable hard drive with built-in AES encryption pictured above. The tinfoil-hat-friendly drive, available in Q2 for $149, automatically encrypts all the data stored on it, keeping it away from prying eyes if lost or stolen. On the other end of the spectrum, Seagate is also introducing free software called Central Axis that allows you to access content stored on a Maxtor Shared Storage II device from any web browser without having to open firewall ports, and announcing partnerships with Sanyo, HarmanBecker and PortoMedia to incorporate Seagate's D.A.V.E "wireless mobile storage capacity" tech into their products. Seagate says future Harman car entertainment systems will be able to store music, movies and games using D.A.V.E., and that Sanyo's using the tech in its Xacti camcorders. On the more mundane side of things, the desktop FreeAgent line now tops out at 1TB, the FreeAgent Go will hit 250GB by the end of the quarter, and there's a new line of DVR-specific drives called Pipeline HD that are rated to work in case temps as high as 167 degrees Fahrenheit. Pipeline drives will come in sizes ranging from 320GB to 1TB, and they're targeted primarily at HTPC manufacturers -- but we'd bet a few Tivo-hackin' ears just perked up out there.
Seagate FreeAgent drives not down with Linux?
It seems as if FreeAgent owners that prefer a more open operating system have been experiencing issues with the drive for a little while now, but we're finally seeing that Seagate isn't exactly rushing to the rescue. Apparently, the power-saving settings on the drives in question only function as advertised in Windows, and users running Linux (and OS X, we presume) could see their FreeAgent duck into inactivity, only to have the USB connection drop and reconnect as USB 1.1. Furthermore, we've even seen an e-mail response from the firm tersely stating that it "does not provide support for Personal / External Storage products (and / or accessories) used in a Linux environment." So, dear readers, are any of you fighting this same battle, and if so, have you found a sufficient workaround?Update: The workaround you were hoping for? Yeah, check this out. Thanks, nerdgod!Read - Seagate snubs LinuxRead - E-mail response
Seagate's FreeAgent lineup of data movers hit the market
Although Seagate has long been viewed as a hard drive producer, advocate of pornographic archival (or not), and little more, the company is looking to break new ground by unleashing its family of FreeAgent "data movers." Just under three months after being introduced to the world, the FreeAgent Go Small, Go, Desktop Drive, and Pro are all hitting the market, ready to take your computing comfort zone along with you wherever you may roam. Still ranging in size from 12GB all the way to three-quarters of a terabyte in size, these stylish drives all share a relatively small footprint, USB 2.0 connectivity, and the ability carry your critical documents, bookmarks, passwords, and other personal material from one PC to the next in a secure manner. So if you've been itching for a fairly attractive form of external storage, and don't mind the data moving capabilities being thrown in, you can reportedly snag one of these devices now from around $140 to just under $500.
Seagate FreeAgent keeps your friends close, and your data closer
Seagate is attempting to shed its image as a stodgy, traditional hard drive company and is going for a new line of pocket-sized drives called FreeAgent. These new drives include a set of software designed to keep track of your online passwords, settings, email and pretty much any piece of data that you can think of, thereby allowing you to sync stuff from your home PC with any other PC out there (we're guessing that these drives aren't Mac-friendly). We still think that most folks who want to carry around that much data would just as soon keep a laptop or a PDA within arm's reach instead of dropping anywhere from $140 to $420 to get their hands on one of these 12GB to 750GB FreeAgent drives; but hey, Seag' probably knows a bit more about this industry than we do. The company is also touting its new online storage service to host a half gig's worth of photos and other files, which will be free for the first six months -- that is, starting when all this stuff debuts next month. [Via CNET]
