Aimed at iPad and other tablet device users the GoFlex Satellite could also attract interest from Windows and Mac users
Take a 500GB pocket USB drive and add WiFi to it - job done; ideal for WiFi-enabled devices that don't have lots of spare internal storage capacity, like tablet devices, and smartphones for keeping your video, photos and movies on. Well, it's not quite as simple as that, but in essence this is what Seagate has done with their GoFlex Satellite drive, which will go on sale in the US in a couple of weeks, while here in Europe it will arrive in August.
The WiFi connection
You may have already formed some assumptions about the GoFlex Satellite that can be corrected immediately. The unit is primarily designed to work via its own hotspot. You need to connect your host device over the wireless LAN emanating from the Satellite itself, rather than connecting to it wirelessly via a router. In fact up to three wireless devices can be connected to the Satellite at one time. After saying all that, a future firmware upgrade is planned to enable the Satellite to be connected to a conventional wireless network as the wireless hardware already has the appropriate additional antenna built in.
So why has Seagate gone for a WiFi arrangement with the GoFlex Satellite. There is no disguising that Seagate is targetting iPad users. You can't attach USB hard drives without hacking iPad ports, and as most pocket sized external USB drives are powered off the USB port, your iPad's battery would be drained in no time. While you can attach external USB drives to Android devices generally more easily, the battery drain issue remains. You can also use the Satellite with iPhones and some iPods.
The additional thickness of the GoFlex Satellite case (up from 14mm with a standard GoFlex FreeAgent USB drive to 32mm on the Satellite) accommodates a battery that allows the unit to stream movies for up to 5 hours
You can, of course connect to a GoFlex Satellite drive using a more conventional Mac or Windows PC wirelessly. Access is facilitated over a Web browser interface. For an iPad an app is provided to manages access. The app can provide a view of file content on the deivice and filter file types, and execute the relevant application on your iPad to play or view the associated file content. 802.11b/g/n wireless support is standard, so if your device supports the wireless n standard you can enjoy the fastest connection speeds and stream HD video off the Satellite wirelessly.
Apart from low memory devices like tablets and smartphones, there are intriguing possibilities for the GoFlex Satellite, including wireless shared access for a small team of people in a hotel, for example. Use on a plane is less clear as only a small number of airlines permit the use of WiFi in-flight, although the trend is steadily in the direction of allowing WiFi in the long term. The Seagate representative who demonstrated the Satellite to us had an interesting anecdote about a flight in which he was allowed to use WiFi and he used the Satellite while it was still in the overhead locker. At the end of the flight he was also able to switch the Satellite off remotely, although you can't switch it on that way.
If your host device does support USB connections, or even ultra high-speed USB 3.0 which is standard on the Satellite, you can use this as you need. eSata and FireWire 800 cables are available options and Thunderbolt is in the pipeline, which will be good news for owners of the latest MacBook Pro.
Seagate developed this product for low power, storage-light devices like tablets and smartphones, but I can see a lot of potential for interest from conventional portable PC users, including photographers. I look forward to seeing a production unit in the near future.
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