Fast, compact and secure portable storage
USB keys are fine for transporting documents to and from the office, but they have limited capacity and present something of a security risk if lost.
The FreeAgent GoFlex Pro from Seagate is the latest in a long line of external hard drives designed to act as a portable storage and backup solution. Encryption software and a file synchronisation tool are also included.
The device is barely larger than the 2.5in hard drive within. Our review sample came with a 500GB drive, although there is a 750GB version available.
It’s stylishly designed, with rounded edges and a glossy coating on the top. To keep it as small as possible, there are no buttons or LED indicators on the device itself.
There is, however, a series of lights on the included docking station. A simple power LED is joined by a further four LEDs to indicate the free space on the drive. What’s missing, though, is an LED to show whether or not the drive is busy.
The drive inserts into the docking station vertically, which saves space on the desktop. However, the issue with this design is that it’s a little easy to knock over. Seagate also supplies a smaller USB cable with a connector that allows the drive to lay flat.
It’s a shame Seagate didn’t fit a standard mini-USB port on the drive. The use of a proprietary adapter means you’ll need to remember to take the USB cable with you on your travels; leave it in the office and you’ll be stuck without your data.
All the power required is drawn direct via USB, so there’s no need for a separate power adapter.
As far as speeds go, the drive is pretty fast. In our tests, a 700MB file took just 20 seconds to transfer to the FreeAgent GoFlex, which equates to roughly 35MB/s. This is a fair bit quicker than other portable drives we tested, thanks mainly to Seagate’s use of a 7,200rpm drive; most 2.5in portable hard drives spin at 5,400rpm.
