External drive with style: Seagate FreeAgent Desktop
- Hard Disks, Hardware, Seagate -
By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net
SEAGATE was the first to pioneer the large-capacity external hard drive in the last few years and most were well-built, truly protecting the sensitive hard disk inside. However, at the time, their external drives were expensive and still slower in performance compared to internal drives. It took a while before the old version of the USB was replaced by the faster performing USB 2.0, which has a transfer rate of 480 megabits per second compared to just 1.5 Mbps in USB 1.0. A few years later, Seagate starts to change their external hard disk business. This time, they launch a new model called the FreeAgent series, which includes mobile, entry level and professional level drives.
Seagate FreeAgent, distributed by Millennium Computer Technology Corp., has been totally redesigned from the ground up. That’s no surprise considering the fact that competitors have begun innovating. What’s more, some China-made new drive enclosures have provided budget-conscious techies alternative modes to have external drives.
The FreeAgent comes in four variants: the FreeAgent Go Small (12 Gigabytes) FreeAgent Go (80 to 160 Gb), FreeAgent Desktop (250 to 500 Gb) and the FreeAgent PRO (320 to 750 Gb). Apart from the sizes, there are a few differences in terms of extra features, though the Pro variant is the only one with automatic backup software as well as an online backup service.
