Review - Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable Drive

I'm very tech-savvy. I was raised during the 90s and we were no strangers to computers. I can remember my family's first computer, we had bought it back in 1998 and it cost a little under $2,000. Back then computers didn't have a lot of hard drive disk space like they do now. I have 3 computers which include 2 desktops and 1 laptop. My laptop, a Sony Vaio, only has 120 GB hard drive, compared to my desktop that has 650 GB HD.

The lack of hard drive space on my laptop is a negative thing that affects a lot that goes on in my life. I'm a college student and having something that has the capacity to store documents and such but also be portable is a must. Thanks to Lyda over at Seagate i was able to review one of their hard drives. In particular, their FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable Drive.

I received a FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable hard drive in a silver color with a capacity of 500GB. I was ecstatic when i opened it. It has very sleek, clean lines and weighs only .33lb. Also, at half an inch thick, its very portable and fits almost anywhere without adding bulk or weight to your daily load. This is perfect for college students, or anyone really, who needs a portable device with backup software that will not only protect their files by encrypting them, but be easy to use. The FreeAgent GoFlex drive comes in blue, silver, red, and black with different capacities ranging from 320GB to an amazing 1TB. It also features USB 2.0 plug-and-play connectivity along with pre-loaded back-up software which makes it a perfect portable hard drive for those who aren't very tech-savvy. You just plug it in to a usb port on your computer and it will be automatically recognized. You can choose to leave it at that or explore and install their back-up software which is amazingly easy to use.

I took a screenshot of their Memeo back-up software which takes just minutes to install. As soon as you open it, the software automatically scans your computer  for anything that you can back-up like music, video, files, and documents and then shows you how much space it would require to back-up on the hard drive. You then press "start backup" and you can close it and leave it running in the backround. You also have the "advanced options" tab which lets you pick what specific files you want to back-up with a drag-and-drop window.

One thing that made me fall in love with Seagate's hard drive is the instant backup feature. One thing i definately had to back up was my large library of music. After you chose what you wish to back up, if you add something new to that particular folder it will be automatically backed-up on your portable hard drive. If it isn't plugged in the files will be backed-up the next time you connect it. This is, in my honest opinion, the best part of the software. It also an encryption option for those looking for extra security when backing up important files.

This is not your average hard drive, its part of the GoFlex Storage System Family–which includes the GoFlex ultra-portable drive–to make it easy for you to upgrade your interface via USB 3.0, eSATA or Firewire 800 adapters, and access your content on your network, your TV, and everywhere you go. When paired with the GoFlex HD Media Player you're able to access music, photos and movies stored on your device on any T.V. There are many great featured this hard drive, and the "family", has to offer.

Overall I am very impressed with this device, its durability, portability, ease of use and software. I can easily say its the best hard drive I've had, and I have had many. The Western Digital "My Book" being the worst, by far. So if you're currently looking to buy a hard drive or give one as a gift for Back-to-School, buy this one on my recommendation, i know you won't regret it!

Disclaimer: I was NOT paid for this post, however I did receive the product in question to review. All opinions are my own.