Seagate's latest external HDD offers a
lot more than just storage space.
Price: $93.5 (500GB)
Website: www.seagate.com
Seagate
Backup Plus Portable – A Huge Plus To Storage
By definition of "More", most
external HDD makers simply content themselves by offering larger storage space.
In the case of the Seagate Backup Plus Portable, however, "More" here
is defined by the generous amount of connectivity options as well as features,
along with the extra storage space. And boy is they great!
The Backup Plus Portable drives are 2.5mm
variations fitted into an appropriately thin and slim chassis. The chassis
themselves look pretty good, coming in Blue, Red, White and Black versions.
Unfortunately, the built feels rather plastic KY and not very solid, which
might not be much for peace of mind.
You really only need to concern yourself
with the singular connectivity port, but what's cool here is that you WILL be
spoilt for choice. The Backup Plus comes with USB 3.0 by default, which is
already great until you realize that it also supports FireWire 800 and
Thunderbolt! How absolutely wonderful! Sadly, you'll have to obtain the
FireWire and Thunderbolt cables separately.
So, onwards to what the Backup Plus does
best: backing up stuff. Seagate has offered simple pre-installed backup
software that does its job, either as scheduled or automatic backups. The plus
side to it is the fact that it also connects to your essential social network
accounts, which does two things: let you download your images from Facebook or
Flikr, or easily upload them from the drive. This is a neat addition to have.
Our version of the drive offers 500GB of
space, with a 1TB variation as well. Transfer speeds here are great, thanks
mostly in part of its USB 3.0 interface. We managed a solid 16 seconds of
transfer speeds for our 1.2GB test folder, and we're sure you'll be hitting
higher numbers with the FireWire and Thunderbolt cables.
You
can only have it working with one cable at a time, but it supports USB 3.0,
FireWire 800 AND Thunderbolt.
Conclude
The Seagate Backup Plus Portable s a hefty
drive, not just in terms of storage space, but really the amount of
connectivity options and backup features that come with it. USB 3.0, FireWire
and Thunderbolt support s great to have, while the social network aspects to
the backup are welcoming. The built could be better, out even so, Seagate's
drive gives more than what you usually get.
|
Specifications
Capacity: 500GB
Connectivity: USB3.0 (default), Thunderbolt, FireWire
Dimensions: 123.4 x 14.5 x 1.1
Weight: 224g
Pros and cons
Pros
Good transfer speeds
Cool back-up features
USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, FireWire support
Cons
Chassis feels plastic KY
Thunderbolt and FireWire is optional
Ratings
Performance: 4/5
Features: 5/5
Design: 3/5
Value: 4/5
|
