And some Windows users may want to reformat the drive to NTFS for optimal performance.
Mac users may need to format the drive in HFS+ if they want to use Apple’s Time Machine. Of course, the drive is also compatible with USB 2.0, but transfer speeds will slow down if you use one of those ports.īy default, the drive is formatted in the exFAT file system, which should be fine for most Windows or Mac installations and allows cross-platform readability. The Micro-USB Type-B cable ends in a regular Type-A port, and the Type-A-to-C adapter is included in the box. Ultra Touch supports USB 3.x over a USB Type-A or USB Type-C connection. Of course, many of us use external drives for both, and there’s plenty of room for the drive to do dual duty unless you’re a serious photographer or videographer. A typical use case for this type of device is media storage (music, photos, or video) or backup, and 2TB is usually enough to do the job. Indeed, 2TB seems to be the capacity appeal of today for disk-based portable drives.
If you may need the full 2TB of space, get the full 2TB. The 1TB version of the drive is worth much less than the $69.99 MSRP, so the cost per gig is much higher.
You’ll occasionally see 2TB portable drives for sale for $10 or less, so we expect Ultra Touch to see the same reseller discounts to stay competitive. For most people, it’s music and photos worth a lifetime unless they tend to save in lossless music or very high-resolution photo formats.Īt $89.99 MSRP for this 2TB version, the final price of the storage here is a tempting 4.5 cents per gigabyte. After all, a 2TB drive can hold about 4 million 500K photos or half a million regular MP3 files. The 2TB unit I’m reviewing still offers a fair amount of storage for mainstream use. While even the higher capacity of Seagate’s two Ultra Touch drives isn’t a storage monster (you can find portable drives around this size with a 4TB or 5TB mechanism inside). To keep in mind: While the fabrics have a nice, human feel, I don’t find them all prettier or more slip-resistant than plastic or metal. As for the fabric, the jacket remains to be seen how well it resists scratches and dirt you can’t just throw it in the washer/dryer. (That’s about the same size but 1.7 ounces lighter than LaCie’s Similar Portable Drive, a 2019 release I’m reviewing alongside this model.)Įven though the drive case is plastic, the whole thing feels solid and sturdy. Seagate’s swirly logo lives, unobtrusively, in the bottom left corner of the case.Īs you’d expect, the drive is small and light, measuring just 0.46 inches thick and measuring 3.1 x 4.5 inches. (This drive-side connector may look non-standard, but alternative cables using it are readily available.) The chassis edges are gently rounded, with no sharp corners to poke or grab. (Seagate also offers a $69.99 1TB capacity.įabric wrap aside, the case is sturdy yet lightweight, with a bright white drive-activity LED on the bottom of the chassis face and a Micro-USB Type-B connector along the bottom edge. The drive that I have on hand for testing is the white one with a capacity of 2TB. The Ultra Touch’s textile cover, available in black or white, wraps around the top and one end of the drive’s plastic housing, adding a touch of style and grip to what otherwise would be another plastic hard drive case. Overall, this drive is well worth the money for Windows or Mac users, standing out in the long-sought merchandise category.įirst, sensitivity. Plus, you’ll have peace of mind: It’s easy to password-protect Ultra Touch, and your data is secured with AES 256-bit hardware encryption. It is covered with a woven fabric that feels like a friendly and close object in your hand. This portable drive has a rare feature in mobile technology: texture. Seagate’s Backup Plus Ultra Touch external hard drive offers an uncanny sense of class in a market rife with homogenous, plastic-coated storage devices. Plus, a fabric jacket adds to the appeal.
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