Recently I reviewed the Seagate FreeAgent Go portable external hard drive. Today I will look at a handy accessory designed specially for this drive that makes transferring data to and from your desktop a breeze. The dock allows the transfer of files across the USB connection but like they say on that infomercial – Wait! There’s more! It also doubles as a USB hub allowing up to three USB 2.0 devices to be connected to one’s PC. It has an AC cable for providing additional power to the hub to charge devices such as iPods, Zunes and PDA’s.

Seagate also includes a leathery protective travel case for the Seagate FreeAgent Go drive to keep it from harms way during its journeys. The FreeAgent Go Dock+ has a retail price of around forty dollars but can be found on the internet for a little more than half that price; making it a great value.

The FreeAgent Go Dock+ arrives in a plastic clamshell which according to my Seagate contact is starting to be phased out for the more environmentally friendly recycled cardboard packaging. Inside the package we find the FreeAgent Go Dock+, a travel case, an AC adaptor, USB cable and a quick start guide.

The Dock is available in white and is composed of plastic. Looking at the dock from the front, we see a mini-USB connector in the middle of the cradle area where the Seagate FreeAgent Go rests when docked. Behind this mini-USB connector is a Seagate logo. Just behind the cradle dock area is a green power LED.

On the right side of the dock is an AC connector and on the back we see three USB ports and a mini-USB female connector.

The bottom surface is a rubber grip material to keep the dock from sliding around. The AC adaptor and USB cable also come in white to match the FreeAgent Go Dock+.

The travel case is composed of a black padded leathery material with the Seagate logo embossed into the lower right hand side of the case. There is an elastic sleeve on the back of the case to store the drive’s USB connector cable.

Specifications:

FreeAgent Go Dock+

The dock that doubles as a USB hub. Connect your FreeAgent Go and up to three other USB devices—all from your desktop.

· Protective travel case

· ENERGY STAR qualified power supply

· Connect your FreeAgent Go portable drive to your PC or Mac computer

· Inside the Box: Dock with 4 foot attached USB cable and a durable, protective travel case

Setup involves plugging in the AC adaptor, connecting the USB cable to the dock and a Mac or PC. Now you can insert the FreeAgent Go drive into the dock and it will be recognized as if the USB cable were attached to the drive. In addition, you have the ability to use three powered USB 2.0 ports off the hub.

With all three USB ports and a drive in the dock, there was no noticeable performance hit. I was able to charge and sync my iPhone and iPod, use a thumb drive and my FreeAgent Go drive without a hiccup.

The FreeAgent Go Dock+ is portable enough that it can be carried around in one’s laptop bag. The additional three ports are especially useful when I use my MacBook Pro which relegates me to two built in USB connectors. Using the FreeAgent Go Dock+ I am able to connect my FreeAgent Go drive and still have three additional USB 2.0 ports plus the other built in USB port on my MacBook Pro.

The Travel Case is aesthetically pleasing and the padding is nice to have around the drive to protect it from any minor trauma. The include USB cable tucks into the elastic preventing any accidental lose of said cable.

Conclusion:

The FreeAgent Go Dock+ works as advertised. The dock allows easy cradling of Seagate’s FreeAgent Go drive and the USB 2.0 hub provides three powered connections. Although it does require an AC power source, the ability of running four powered devices and only tying up one USB port on one’s PC or Mac is a nice bonus.

The FreeAgent Go Dock+ comes bundled with extras such as the USB hub and the travel case making it the perfect accessory for the FreeAgent Go drive.

Pros:
+Works as advertised
+No performance hit when using all connections
+Include protective travel case for the FreeAgent Go drive

Cons:
-Require AC power

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance