I’m going to go ahead and assume that you have a computer (this is a website, after all), which means you have data.  I figure you’re either here because you’re running out of space for your data, you want to backup the data you already have, or you’re looking for a gift for somebody who has one, or both of the issues I just mentioned.

There are hundreds if not thousands of desktop and backup solutions out there.  Some are nothing more than big hard drives (you’re on your own for setting up any sort of backup).  Others are exclusively backup devices, which can be great if that’s what you’re looking for.  Others still, like the FreeAgent series from Seagate are what I call hybrid solutions.  Yes, the FreeAgent, at it’s core, is just a hard drive, but when paired with the included Seagate Manager software, it’s a highly configurable, yet incredibly intuitive backup solution.  Of course, if all you want is a big external hard drive, well, it can be that too.

Seagate was kind enough to send us one of their 1 Terabyte FreeAgent XTreme models for review.  I’ve been abusing it for quite sometime now, and although the drive has come away none the worse for wear, I find myself largely impressed with not only the drive itself, but with the included backup software as well.

Features

From a purely cosmetic standpoint, the sleek, well-designed FreeAgent series is a welcome departure from the clunky metal boxes of yore (and by yore I mean 2005).  It’s slim (so slim in fact that it’s hard to imagine that there’s really up to 1.5 TB under the cover), and features an elaborate light display instead of the boring LED blink of yore (yup, I’m back to yore again).  It ships with both rubber feet and a stand, which means you have the option of laying it flat or standing it up.  Whatever works best on your desk.

It’s whisper quiet so you’ll hardly notice it’s there (except when you need to recover your data).  The FreeAgent series has full support for encryption at both the file and drive letter, so even if your drive somehow manages to disappear, your data will still be protected from prying eyes.  Peace of mind also comes in the form of an industry-leading 5 year warranty, which in the world of data storage is a lifetime.  By the time your warranty expires, I can pretty much assure you, it’s going to be time for a bigger drive.

It also doesn’t hurt that it spins at the SATA standard 7200 RPMs, and can achieve transfer speeds of up to 3 Gigabits per second when connected via eSATA.

Installation

If you plan on using your Seagate Xtreme as purely a storage device, all you need to do is connect it to your computer through 1 of 3 supported interfaces (USB, Firewire, or eSATA), and you’re 100% ready to go.  For those who plan on using the drive for backup, installation is ever-so-slightly more involved.

When you plug-in the drive for the first time you’re basically prompted to install the Seagate Manager software.  Since Seagate put the software on the drive itself, there are no downloads, no CDs; just a few clicks and you’re ready to start backing up your data.  If only the enterprise solutions I deal with everyday were this easy.

Configuration

The Seagate Manager software does need to be configured before it will start making copies of your important data.  What’s great about the Seagate Manager software is that basic configuration is so simple, anyone (including my mother, which is the ultimate test of usability) can use it, but complex enough that most advanced users will find it satisfactory for their needs.

For the novice user, a simple backup plan can be completed in only two clicks.  By default, the Simple Backup backs up only your personal data folder (which includes “my music”, “my documents”, as well as favorites, contacts, and other important settings).  The software also automatically schedules ongoing backups to run daily at 10:00 PM.

My guess is that the Simple Backup offers exactly the level of worry and complexity free protection that the average user desires.  If you need to backup additional folders, it’s extremely easily modify the Simple Backup to include your program files, or anything else you might want to backup.

The Seagate Manager software detects all your drives (both internal and external), so regardless of where your data is stored, you’ll be able to back it up to your new drive.  And because it sees any other external drives you may have, it allows you to backup data to those as well.  If you’ve got two similar drives, Seagate Manager can use the both as part of a single backup set.

In addition to traditional Backup jobs, Seagate Manager also supports Sync jobs.  Sync jobs are created almost exactly the same way as backup jobs (two clicks for a simple job).  Unlike backup jobs, however; which run daily, Sync jobs run in real time.  Any modifications you make to a synced file will immediately be copied to the Seagate XTreme the moment that file as saved.  Sync jobs, which can coexist with backup jobs, offer an additional level of protection, because you no longer need to wait for the next backup to preserve your data.

The Seagate Manager software tracks up to 10 revisions of any given file, so even if you’ve changed a file, and then changed it again, only to find out you shouldn’t have changed it in the first place, the combination of your FreeAgent drive, and Seagate Manager software guarantee that you’ll be able to get back exactly the data you need.

What I like

There’s not much not to like about the Seagate FreeAgent XTreme.  As I’ve already said, the Seagate Manager software is highly configurable, but only if you want it to be.  Since at it’s heart, the FreeAgent is “just a hard drive”, you can use it as such.  If you have backup software you’re already using, you can skip the Seagate Manager, and simply add the FreeAgent as additional disk-based backup storage.  You’ve got a lot of options.

I also love that, in addition to controlling Sync and Backup jobs, the Seagate Manager software also allows you to control the power settings of your drive, turn the LED display off (and back on again), and run a diagnostic test to verify the health of your drive.

What I’d like to see improved

While overall the Seagate FreeAgent XTreme is an outstanding offering for users seeking either a comprehensive backup device, or just a regular old hard drive with lots of free space, there are a couple aspects of the Seagate Manager software I’d like to see improved in future releases.

From what I can tell, each FreeAgent drive supports only a single backup plan.  Again, this won’t be an issue for 95+ percent of users out there, but I’d like to be able to backup some bits of data more frequently that others.  For example, while I’d most certainly backup important documents daily, there’s a fair amount of less important stuff which I only need to backup up on a weekly, or even monthly basis.

The Seagate Manager software does not compress backups as it stores them.  While this makes for simplified file retrieval, it’s not the most efficient use of disk space.  Again, in truth, most users wouldn’t notice one way or the other.

Finally, the Self Test feature is only supported when the FreeAgent XTreme is connected via USB.  Ideally it would work just as well through firewire or eSATA.  It’s not a huge problem as it’s reasonable to expect that most users will connect the drive via USB anyway, and the rest of us can change the connection for testing purposes without too much trouble.

Final Thoughts

Having used them both at home and in enterprise class solutions for a number of years now, I’ve come to trust the reliability of Seagate drives.  Of course, it’s a reality that occasionally hard drives will fail (call it the curse of moving parts), so it’s also nice to know that Seagate support has got my back.

In a perfect world everyone would be able to understand everyone else, but it simply doesn’t work that way.  When computer problems occur it’s frustrating.  That frustration is further complicated when you call for support and the person on the other end of the phone doesn’t understand you, or you can’t understand them.  Seagate gets that.  They’ve listened to their customers, and even in this downright depressing economy, when everyone is trying to cut sots, they’ve decided to in-source all of their support to Oklahoma City.  Should you need to call Seagate, you’ll get somebody who speaks your language and who understands what you’re trying to tell them.

Whether you’ve got a serious data shortage problem and simply need a big drive, or you need an effective and reliable way to backup your important data, you can’t go wrong with the FreeAgent series drive from Seagate.  With a variety of sizes available for both Mac and PC users, there’s a drive that’s right for everyone.  The stylishly designed drives are backed by a 5-year warranty, which means you’re data will be protected for years to come.

Full details and specs are available at the Seagate FreeAgent Website.

The Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme (like everything else in this world) is available from Amazon.com.

Users seeking a more portable, or more colorful (or silvery) solution should consider Seagate’s FreeAgent Go.

Finally, for Apple users, Seagate offers both the FreeAgent Desk for Mac, and the FreeAgent Go for Mac.

Check out all of the reviews that are part of our 2008 Tech Gift Guide.