Even if you are a proud owner of a high storage capacity phone or tablet, the chances are high that you will run out of storage if you are one of those who love downloading TV shows, videos and even movies. Seagate has decided to get you out of this misery by introducing its all new Seagate GoFlex Satellite which promises to provide your smartphone and tablet with as much space as in your laptop in a very compact means.

Design:

The Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Hard Drive lives up to that high-end look expectations with a glossy black plastic top and bottom with matte finishing and the sides have been wrapped in a silver plastic. This portable external hard drive looks almost same as the Go Flex Ultra portable and GoFlex Pro. With the dimensions of just (H x W x D) 5 x 3.5 x 0.8”, is only a notch bigger than most of the manufacturer’s portable external hard drives. However, it is not like a smartphone.

Ports and connectivity:

In one side, there is a small power point and in the opposite side, there is the power switch. On top, you will find a couple of small lights, one that indicates power and another that lets you know that the wireless connection is powered. Moving on to the rear, there is the latest docking connector. Hence, though the device comes with a USB3.0 adapter, you will also be able to make use of any of the manufacturer’s other connectivity options such as eSata, USB2.0 and FireWire.

Interface:

Loading of data on the Seagate GoFlex Satellite Portable External Hard Drive is as simple as plugging it into your tablet and dragging files into it. As soon as you get the drive, one of the first things to be done is the downloading of the free GoFlex app. To connect your iPad wirelessly to the drive, just go to the settings menu, turn on the GoFlex Satellite and it will get connected easily. The only disadvantage to the GoFlex Satellite is that, you will not be able to connect to the net when connected to satellite. This is an absolute bummer, taking into consideration the nature of iPad. The GoFlex app is quite intuitive as well as colourful and bright, making it likable. On the left side, you will find categories like videos, music and photos. When you select one, the contents come up on the right side of the screen. Whatever we did there went through pretty well.

Features:

The Quicklook options allows you to read through the documents and gives you an option to download it to the iPad or just print it with the help of AirPrint. However, we really wished that it would have been great if we were able to upload files to Seagate GoFlex from iPad. Up to 3 users will be able to connect to the device simultaneously. Just connect to the device wirelessly and will be able to view the contents with a browser. The fact that the interface was same that of the iPad app. You will also be able to upload files wireless, however, only one at a time.

Performance:

With the USB3.0 interface, the GoFlex Satellite is a very decent performer. We managed to copy a folder of 10GB in under 5 minutes at a rate of 32 mbps. Though this is not the quickest, it is in par with the averages.

Battery:

Moving on to battery life, the GoFlex will get you about 5 hours of battery life and 25 hours of standby.

Package contents:

The package contents of the GoFlex Satellite includes the mobile wireless device itself, compact wall adaptor with retractable pins, compact car charger, USB to DC cable, USB3.0 USM adaptor with detachable USB3.0 cable and quick start guide.

Warranty:

Seagate GoFlex Satellite comes with three years limited warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Price wise, the Seagate GoFlex Satellite is more economical than most of the other similar kind of drives such as the Wi drive when per MB basis is considered. This drive is by far the most flexible on the market, thanks to exchange port adaptor. One of the major plus points of this portable external hard drives is that, it is also compatible with the Android devices. The only major disadvantage is that, you cannot be connected to net while using the device. Overall, the GoFlex Satellite is a fantastic device for boosting your storage needs.

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Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500GB Mobile Hard Drive – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Seagate
Model Name Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Satellite
Product Code STBF500101
Colour Black
Type Ultra portable drive
Dimensions 4.72in L x 3.54in W x 0.87in D
Weight 0.267kg
Capacities Available 500GB
Interface USB 3.0 and WiFi
Folder sync software Yes
Spindle speed 7200rpm
Software Preloaded premium backup software with
encryption and synchronisation
Encryption Powerful encryption technology
Compatible OS Windows and Mac
Supported file formats Video: H.264 video, MPEG-4, Motion-JPEG
Audio: AAC, MP3, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4),
Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV
Documents: Microsoft Office, iWork, Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
Select file types supported by third-party apps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 

WPA security
Box Contents GoFlex Satellite mobile wireless storage device
USB 3.0 USM adapter with detachable USB 3.0 cable
Compact wall adapter with retractable pins
Compact car charger
USB to DC cable
Quick start guide
Battery Lithium-ion (non-replaceable)
Up to 25 hours standby
Up to 5 hours of continuous streaming (1 user)
Warranty Three–year limited warranty

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