Storage vendor Seagate has taken the wraps off a new FreeAgent GoFlex portable external hard drive, which the company claims is the world’s first to offer a 2.5-inch hard drive with a 1.5 TB capacity. And for fast access to the mountains of data and content that can represent, Seagate has packed a USB 3.0 interface onto the drive—and the unit will still work with USB 2.0 devices.
“Today’s announcement is a ‘triple-crown’ of consumer technology—packaging record breaking capacity, blazingly fast USB 3.0 connectivity, and the bonus of movie entertainment” ” said Seagate global retail sales and marketing VP Darcy Clarkson, in a statement.
Although SeaGate doesn’t say anything in the official press release, the retail box art says it all: Seagate is bundling a digital version of J.J. Abram’s Star Trek movie with each drive, along with the option to purchase keys to unlock up to 20 other films that are already preloaded on the drive. Seagate began pre-loading Paramount films on selected consumer hard drives earlier this year.
As with other GoFlex drives, users can swap in cables and accessories including Seagate’s GoFlex Net and GoFlex TV HD so users can access their content from the Internet or a mobile device, or push content (like those unlocked movies) to an HDTV.
The 1.5 TB GoFlex ultra-portable drive with USB 3.0 is available now from Seagate in black for $249.99.