FreeAgent Go: More than just a pretty case.
It could be argued that one hard drive is basically the same as the next. It connects to your machine, holds your data—and that’s about it. Provided it doesn’t die at the most inconvenient moment possible, a hard drive is kind of like a Sigur Rós record: You stop noticing it after a while, but you’re always glad it’s around. Seagate’s new FreeAgent Go drive for the Mac takes what’s essentially a commodity and turns it into a great gadget.
First things first. The FreeAgent Go comes formatted for your Mac. While reformatting a drive isn’t that difficult, as Mac users, we certainly appreciate the nod from Seagate. The drive arrives ready to be used as a Time Machine backup volume straight from the box. While we’ve been using our FreeAgent as a working drive for a special project that requires moving gobs of data between several machines, a couple of FreeAgents would serve as an excellent way to rotate Time Machine backups offsite for improved data security.
Unlike its Windows counterparts, the Mac version of the FreeAgent Go drive comes bundled with a FireWire 800 cradle, making it perfect for shuttling large files between the mother ship and a Mac laptop. Seagate includes short USB and FireWire cables with the drive, for portable connectivity to your secondary machine(s). The FreeAgent Go also utilizes the Mac’s built-in power-management features, so it’ll sleep alongside your system—a lot of third-party drives will continue to draw power—and spin—even as your Mac sleeps.
FreeAgent Go is quickly becoming one of our favorite portable drives. It’s not as svelte as some competitors, but the fatter form factor buys FireWire compatibility, and Seagate has clearly kept the needs of Mac users in mind.
Pre-formatted for Mac. Includes handy FireWire 800 dock. Uses OS X power management. Metallic case looks good on any Mac-centric desktop.
Larger than other portable drives. Slightly bulkier than Windows version, due to inclusion of speedier FireWire connection. 
