When you first install Ceedo, the preinstalled programs include Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If you'd like to install other programs, Ceedo offers a list of free programs, grouped by software type. You may not recognize a lot of these small programs, but a few of the major ones include Mozilla Firefox, Skype, and AOL Instant Messenger. Software types include e-mail clients, file-sharing programs, RSS readers, search engines, and IM clients, among others. If you'd like to install a program that's not included on Ceedo's free list, you can take advantage of the 45-day free trial of Argo ($30), which is a program that helps install programs not on that list. However, even Argo is not all-powerful: it can only install programs from a preapproved list, too. If you're thinking about purchasing the FreeAgent Go drive for the Ceedo functionality, keep in mind that you can purchase the Ceedo software directly from Ceedo's site ($30) and install it on any USB storage drive, including flash thumbdrives, iPods, and other USB hard drives. While we like the idea of Ceedo, we found the list of Ceedo and Argo programs to be lacking. Though they include lots of little utilities, they don't support larger programs.
The FreeAgent Tools utility lets you manage your drive (for example, you can run diagnostics and adjust the sleep interval), launch Ceedo, and most importantly, sync folders. The folder sync option works in real time: designate which folders you want synced between the drive and your host PC, and every time a file on the host PC is changed or a new file is added, the FreeAgent Pro sync folder gets updated as well.
Performance
The 5,400 rpm hard drive in the 160GB version we tested made fast work of writing and reading our 10GB folder of mixed file types. It took only 10 minutes, 33 seconds to write the folder and 8 minutes, 39 seconds to read it. The next fastest portable hard drive on our test bench was the Maxtor OneTouch Mini, which wrote the folder in 12 minutes, 37 seconds and read it back in 10 minutes, 18 seconds. Even if you're not interested in the Ceedo software, this drive is compelling for its fast transfer speeds alone.
Service and support
Seagate backs the FreeAgent Go with a generous five-year warranty. Seagate provides toll-free tech support on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT. You can also get live chat and e-mail support from the company's Web site, as well as a knowledgebase, downloads, installation assistance, and troubleshooting tool.
What You'll Pay
- See All Prices
- Set Price Alert
- Price History
