For desktop systems, all the buzz is about getting to the 1TB mark. Seagate may not have been the first to market at 1TB, but the Barracuda 7200.11 takes them to this new plateau. The drive builds on the technology of previous generation Barracudas, and boasts interesting new features like four 250GB platters, an areal density of 164 Gbits per square inch, and a 32MB cache!
 
The above right image and the below left image show two new drives tagged with the FDE suffix. This indicates that the Barracuda drive above and the Momentus drive below both feature Full Disk Encryption. This is a hardware solution and access to the drive is granted at the BIOS level, managed by a Linux kernel installed in the master boot record. The typical means of authentication is with a password, but a fingerprint scan, smart card reader, or any combination of the three could be used for greater security. Another interesting feature of the FDE drives is "instant drive erasure". Whether the drive (and/or the system it is in) is being sold, thrown out, or assigned to a new person; within one second the entire volume can be erased and no one will be able to access the data. It might take hours to truly remove all data from a traditional drive, and this feature should be quite popular with IT professionals with enough time constraints as it is!
 
The newest products on hand were actually from Maxtor, who was acquired by Seagate late in 2006. The OneTouch line of external hard drive enclosures have been around for a while, and provide simple backups to system data with one touch of a button, as the name implies. The OneTouch 4 is the latest generation, and while featuring a new physical design and new software developed in-house, the three basic formats seem to mirror those found in Seagate's new line up of FreeAgent drives (a basic desktop unit, a feature rich desktop unit, and a small portable unit). The OneTouch 4 (shown in the above right image) would be the basic desktop unit, and is available in sizes from 250GB to 750GB. The software provides basic backup and archiving functions, there is only a USB 2.0 connection, and the MSRPs can be expected to be about $99.99 for 250GB / $269.99 for 750GB.
The OneTouch 4 Plus is shown in the below left image and provides some additional features that make it a step up from the basic OneTouch 4. Capacities range from 250GB to 750GB, while a 1TB version should launch in October 2007. The software allows more configuration options and greater security, and in addition to a USB 2.0 port, there is also a Firewire 400 port. The MSRPs for this version can be expected to be about $129.99 for 250GB, $289.99 for 750GB, and when it hits the market, the 1TB unit will be about $359.99.
 
The third member of this family of drives is the One Touch 4 Mini. This ultra-compact unit not only connects via USB 2.0, but the low power consumption allows it to be powered by this one connection, too. The available capacities range from 80GB to 160GB, and the MSRPs can be expected to be about $99.99 for 80GB / $149.99 for 160GB.
While USB 2.0 and Firewire may be the most common connections for mainstream usage, the lack of an eSATA connection on any of these drives may disappoint some enthusiasts. The physical design of the new OneTouch 4 family is definitely welcome, as it takes them away from the unfortunate appearance of a cinder block (see the OneTouch III). The new design, coupled with the new software has me very interested in investigating one of these drives, and that is exactly what I intend to do next... As if a thank you for attending was actually required, Seagate sent everyone home with a 80GB Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini to try out, so be on the look out for a preview/review very soon.
Special thanks to Seagate for inviting Bigbruin.com to their event.
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