The GoFlex drives are sold like any other USB 2 external hard drives, with a standard USB port on one end and a cable.
But should an owner upgrade their computer to support USB 3, or want to use the drive with a Firewire or eSATA connection, all they have to do is snap on an upgrade cable. The drive stays the same, but it now has a faster interface.
The standard GoFlex portable drive runs at 5400 rpm and comes in four colors with 320GB, 500GB, 750GB, or 1TB capacity. The price ranges from US$99 to $199.
The GoFlex Pro portable runs at 7200 rpm and comes in a 500GB black model. It includes a dock along with backup and restore software that supports encryption. The GoFlex Pro lists for $122.72.
The upgrade cables cost from $19.99 for an eSATA interface to $29.99 for USB 3 to $39.99 for Firewire 800. There's also a USB 3 upgrade kit for $79.99 that includes the USB 3 cable and a USB 3 ExpressCard upgrade for a laptop.
For more new products in the GoFlex line, see Page 2.
There's also a GoFlex desktop drive, available in 1TB or 2TB configurations for $129.99 or $199.99, respectively. It also includes a dock with automatic backup and encryption.
All the drives work with both PCs and Macs and include a driver that lets Macs read from and write to the NTFS drives without reformatting them.
The GoFlex drives also form the foundation for two new media products from Seagate.
The FreeAgent GoFlex Net puts a docked GoFlex drive, or any USB drive connected to the device, on a local network, making a sort of instant NAS. The drives are also available over the Internet, making the stored data accessible anywhere. The GoFlex Net costs $99.99.
The GoFlex TV HD Media Player, with remote, connects to a TV to provide access to movies, music, and photos stored on a docked drive or any connected USB drive. It can also stream video from Netflix, YouTube, and networked computers. It wil be available in early June for $129.99.
