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Seagate GoFlex Satellite
7.0
final rating

reviewed on
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Criteria Comments Rating
  • Speed Streaming over WiFi works well up to about 30 feet (YMMV). Data transfer from a PC/Mac is OK, but limited by the speed of the hard drive in the GoFlex. good
  • Durability Too soon to say for sure, but I have concerns regarding the hard plastic shell, the snap-on/off plastic cover to data port, and the drive's suspension system. so-so
  • Portability The drive's data connector is needlessly large, and begs to be left at home. The device is too large for many pockets; a backpack/purse seems necessary. so-so
  • Design and form factor Too large as a true companion for a smartphone, but the concept is good. The shiny hard plastic shell is a scratch magnet. so-so
  • Noise The unit is about as quiet as the hard drive allows. However, vibration is amplified on some hard surfaces - especially ones made out of sheet metal. good
Detailed review
My GoFlex Satellite overall score is on the low side, and I can no longer recommend this device if you want to sync its content with iTunes. However, if less than perfect iTunes sync is acceptable, it may still appeal. It has enough capacity for me to carry my entire music library with me, and I can access the library via WiFi from my iPhone, iPad or my notebook computers.

The GoFlex Satellite is a versatile device that can do many things reasonably well, but maybe misses the mark by trying to be all things to all people. For example:
  • It will work as a general purpose external hard drive, but there are many better performing, lower cost, and/or more convenient options (depending on how one weights those factors relative to each other).
  • It is a portable WiFi media server, and the WiFi is surprisingly robust for a portable device. UPDATE: About a month after I posted this review, Seagate added a WiFi passthru mode (at least for iOS - tested with both an iPhone 5 and iPad 2012 ed.). The passthru-mode still requires the use of the GoFlex Satellite's WiFi as your access point; but you can then go on and join the GoFlex to your regular WiFi access point. This configuration finally allows you to both stream content from the GoFlex and access the Internet from the devices streaming media from the GoFlex. This is a significant improvement, and the overall score has been adjusted up. However, the GoFlex still does not provide wired ethernet as many/most media servers do.
  • UPDATE: While initial iTunes sync seemed reasonable, but I ran into problems with subsequent syncs. Completely deleting content from the GoFlex, and reconfiguring the sync folders did not solve the problem. However, a re-install of the Seagate Media Sync software seems to have solved my problem.
  • While it is iTunes aware for purposes of importing content from your iTunes library, it does not actually use iTunes on your PC, Mac or iOS device for playback. Because it does not use iTunes for playback, it does not update track attributes like the last played date, times played or times skipped. If these attributes matter to you, then the GoFlex is going to disappoint. .
The GoFlex is already considerably larger than most smartphones. While not a fatal flaw, it is compounded by the relative fragility of the housing and possibly the internals. I can't imagine carrying this around in a brief case, backpack or other bag without a protective case.

The GoFlex is good enough for me to abandon all plans to buy a larger capacity music player - so that iPod Classic is off my want list. Yeah!

Some disclaimers:
  • Lot of use with iOS and OS X - only basic testing with Windows
  • Car charger not tested
  • Battery life may be on the low side - I'm getting 4 - 5 hours.
review history
2012-09-30
Updated detailed review
Updated detailed review
Updated overall rating
Updated detailed review
2012-05-30
Updated overall rating
Updated detailed review
2012-04-29
Updated detailed review
Edited comment on Noise