Storage solutions specialist Seagate announced the release of the
GoFlex Satellite mobile wireless storage, a battery-powered external
hard drive to wirelessly extend the storage capacity of a WiFi-enabled
mobile device. With 500GB and WiFi access over 802.11 b/g/n and a
rechargeable battery, this latest member of the GoFlex family
wirelessly connects mobile devices directly to the GoFlex Satellite
drive by use of the free GoFlex Media app—available on iTunes and the
Apple App Store—or a Web browser.
Initially available for Apple iOS devices, such as the iPad, iPhone
and iPod touch, the GoFlex Media app provides a way to connect the
mobile wireless storage to the iPad or iPhone. The Google Android-based
app is expected to be available by this summer, the company said, and
noted those that currently use an Android smartphone or tablet can
access content on a GoFlex Satellite device through its browser.
Rather than rely on a buffered stream from a provider, GoFlex
Satellite mobile storage wirelessly serves up media content as a local
attached storage for up to three devices at the same time. With a
stand-by battery life of up to 25 hours, the lithium polymer battery
delivers up to five hours of continuously streaming video. To help with
extending battery life, the GoFlex Media app provides a progressive
download feature, which temporarily loads the video onto the iOS
device it is being streamed to, allowing the drive to go into stand-by
mode.
The Media Sync software, also included free with purchase, makes
grabbing media from a Windows PC or Mac OS X computer possible.
Wherever the files are stored, whether that is a file structure of the
user’s own creation or in an iTunes library, the Media Sync software
will load all of the desired media content onto the GoFlex Satellite
drive. Media Sync is also configured to only place files on the drive
that are compatible with the iOS device. Music and videos purchased
through iTunes can also be loaded to the GoFlex Satellite drive and to
play on authorized devices.
The GoFlex Satellite storage drive is available for preorder from
Seagate, Amazon and BestBuy for a suggested retail price of $199.99,
and is scheduled to arrive in Best Buy stores in July. Global
availability is planned for later this summer, the company said.
“With the growth of the tablet and iPad markets and the larger
volumes of high-quality media now being consumed, there is a clear need
for access to content that is not plagued with the challenges of
streamed video over the Internet,” said Patrick Connolly, vice
president and general manager of Seagate’s retail group. “The
unfortunate fact is that these popular new mobile devices are hampered
by their limited storage capacity while one of their primary functions
is that of media consumption.
