Seagate: Backup Plus External USB 3.0 HDDs

Seagate Technology plc introduced Backup Plus storage devices, a consumer storage product family that delivers setup, one-click backup and the ability to save and share content on Facebook and Flickr.

Backup Plus hard drives are newly-designed external storage that work interchangeably with both Windows and Apple computers and deliver features to protect, share and save nearly every aspect of one’s digital life.

These products come loaded with the new Seagate Dashboard software for one-click local backup making it easier to eliminate excuses or apprehensions about backing up.

Backup Plus products are external hard drives to provide backup for content on social networks, such as Facebook and Flickr. Storing a local duplicate copy of photos from social networks is now as easy as backing up files.

Backing up data is a necessity that many people put off until after it’s too late. According to a 2011 study by Parks Associates less than one-quarter of the households in the survey have a weekly backup plan for their systems and only 4% are diligent enough to manually perform a backup on a daily basis.

"The idea of providing a backup of photos and videos from Facebook is an interesting one, which I believe may help people come to realize the importance of maintaining multiple copies of any digital asset regardless of where it is stored," said Brett Sappington, director of research for Parks Associates. "Social media has become a massive repository for personal digital content, and most consumers have not likely considered the possibility of losing access to those shared memories."

Backup Plus hard drives featuring the Dashboard backup software remove the barriers to performing backup and content preservation by making it easy. With a click of an icon, computer files are replicated onto a Backup Plus drive. The Dashboard included also provides a single click path to Save (download) and Share (upload) personal photos and videos on Facebook and Flickr.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Seagate and conducted online by Harris Interactive from May 22-24, 2012, more than half (54%) of U.S. adults personally have and/or know someone who has lost files. Over one-quarter (27%) of U.S. adults personally have lost files and found that it was upsetting for them. While almost all (97%) of those surveyed were identified as computer owners; only 11% have a continuous backup plan and only 10% have a daily backup plan.

"Backing up needs to be an essential part of everyone’s digital life. Nearly everything that is dear to us is now in a digital format; from tax documents, to emails, to family photos and video, many of these files can not be recreated in the event of an accidental loss or system failure," said Scott Horn, VP of Marketing at Seagate. "Seagate is in the business of keeping digital content and files protected in every aspect, whether it is in the cloud, stored on PC or with our external consumer products. Backup Plus is a product that eliminates the barriers to protecting these digital assets. The new Dashboard delivers a simple and complete backup experience with the added benefit of saving photos and video stored on Facebook and other social networks."

Versatile Storage Device
In 2010, Seagate adopted the Universal Storage Module (USM) standard, which enables consumers to add the newest Mac and PC connection capabilities to their Seagate storage product even if these technologies are introduced later. To add another level of versatility, the company has introduced a way to have external storage products work cross-platform with both Mac and Windows OS without reformatting.

Backup Plus Storage
Available from Amazon, BestBuy and other retailers including Seagate’s web site, Backup Plus drives will initially be available in capacities of 500GB, 750GB and 1TB capacities for portable drives and 1TB to 4TB for Backup Plus Desk drives.

This new family of external storage will be available in red, blue, silver and black for the portable 2.5-inch form factor with a manufacturer’s suggested retail prices at launch are: 500GB, $119.99; 750GB, $129.99 and 1TB, $139.99.

The Backup Plus Desk 3.5-inch drive: 1TB, $129.99; 2TB, $149.99; 3TB, $179.99 and 4TB, $249.99 MSRP.

Backup Plus for Mac portable is available in silver and will ship in 500GB for an MSRP of $119.99 and 1TB at $139.99. The Backup Plus Desk for Mac will be available at launch for 2TB, $189.99 and 3TB, $209.99 MSRP.

Seagate Slim and Slim for Mac storage in a 9.5-mm package will be available in a 500GB capacity at $129.99 MSRP and will also include the new Dashboard software for backup of on-board and social media albums.