Seagate on Monday unveiled an addition to its GoFlex home storage line which gives its external hard drives the ability to work as a NAS device over wireless networks.
Seagate's new GoFlex Home network storage system includes 1-TB or 2-TB hard drive which easily slips into and out of a cradle, as well as the ability to connect to a wireless router to allow multiple users to share files and digital media including photos, videos, and music.
GoFlex Home is the latest in Seagate's GoFlex Desk line which the company introduced in May.
Unlike most vendors’ external hard drives, which include a USB 2.0 cable and possibly a FireWire or eSATA port, the GoFlex family lets customers specify from a variety of interfaces including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or FireWire 800.
In addition to sharing files among multiple users, the GoFlex Home storage system also streams digital media files to network-connected DLNA devices such as a GoFlex TV HD media player or a video game console such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3.
DLNA, or Digital Living Network Alliance, is a group of electronics manufacturers who have agreed on standards and guidelines for digital sharing of content between multiple consumer electronics devices.
Seagate is one of several vendors with DLNA-compatible storage devices. Others include Netgear, which earlier this month released its ReadyNAS prosumer digital media sharing storage appliance, as well as Seagate arch-rival Western Digital.
Seagate's GoFlex Home storage system can also be used as a backup device for PCs with Windows or Max OS X operating systems, and includes access to the Seagate Share service for sharing digital media files over the Internet. Content can also be shared with iPhone, iPad, or BlackBerry devices or via social networking sites like Facebook via the optional Seagate Share Pro remote access service.
The GoFlex Home storage system is priced at $159.99 for the 1-TB model and $229.99 for the 2-TB model.
