Seagate Debuts GoFlex Home Centralized Storage Device

Seagate Technology's GoFlex Home storage appliance comes in 1TB and 2TB versions and offers a host of features, such as compatibility with Windows and Mac data backup services and the Share Pro remote access service.

Storage solutions specialist Seagate Technology July 19 unveiled the newest addition to its GoFlex family of hard drives, the GoFlex Home network storage system, aimed at consumers and small office/home office users. When the device is connected to a wireless router, an entire household can centrally store, access and continuously back up files wirelessly from both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems on the home network. Available through the company's Website or select retailers, the GoFlex Home carries a price tag of $159.99 for the 1TB version and $229.99 for the 2TB version.

The centralized storage system also helps simplify the backup process by being compatible with Apple Time Machine, as well as including a version of the backup application for both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. With the GoFlex Home storage system, users can also wirelessly stream photos, movies and music to most network-connected DLNA devices, such as game consoles or a GoFlex TV high-definition media player, from any room in the house.

Its modular design also enables the included drive to be upgraded when needed by simply removing the drive from the base (no tools are required) and replacing it with a higher-capacity GoFlex Desk hard drive. Users can also add more storage to the GoFlex Home system by simply connecting additional drives to the USB port. Additionally, this same USB port can be used to wirelessly share a USB printer with every computer on the network.

A recent report by In-Stat predicted that the consumer network storage market would continue to grow between 25 and 50 percent over the next five years. In addition, the number of devices connected to the home network and those that are mobile or portable is encouraging consumers to move in and out of their home networking environment with their content. Using Seagate Share service, the included remote access and file-sharing service on the GoFlex Home system, users can also access movies, music or photo files stored on the system from any Internet-connected computer in the world.

The GoFlex Home system also offers a premium service option-the Seagate Share Pro remote access service, which allows users to access content stored on the drive from mobile devices such as an iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry, integrate photos or files with Facebook and Flickr, and receive Integrated RSS notifications. The system also includes a power-saving (idle) mode that automatically runs after 30 minutes of inactivity.

"Consumers are showing increased interest in downloading and streaming content from the Internet into the home, connecting devices in the home to social networks, and demanding easy access to content both within the household and beyond the reach of home networks," said Norm Bogen, vice president of research for digital entertainment at In-Stat. "Solutions designed to help access content from multiple devices in the home, distribute it over the home network, and stream it to other devices and products will be appealing to active digital media consumers."