The Basics:
The
Seagate GoFlex Satellite is slightly larger than other GoFlex drives. With the Seagate GoFlex 500GB drive on top, The 1TB GoFlex for Mac in the middle and the Satellite on the bottom, you can see the size difference between the drives in the image below. Overall, the Satellite is only slightly longer than the Mac version but is the same height, and has right around the same weight.
Starting on the right side of the unit, we have the DC power input. On the left side of the unit lies the power button. You can clearly see that the edges of the drive are a flat silver finish similar to other GoFlex drives we've seen, while the top and bottom have a very shiny piano black finish that we've seen in the previous FreeAgent series, as well as the larger GoFlex desktop series of drives. The black and silver combination really ties together the color schemes and is really quite attractive.
The next two images reveal "features" that are unique to the Satellite drive. First, Seagate has added 4 small rubber feet to the bottom of the device to prevent it from sliding around during use. While other GoFlex drives have a slightly rubberized surface, they can slide around if used in a mobile setting. Again, this reinforces the mobility of the unit.
The next additional feature is the inclusion of a removable dust cover. It would be nice if Seagate included this as an option (or even as a standard accessory) for other GoFlex drives.
Lastly, there are two lights on the top of the Seagate GoFlex Satellite. One is for power (noted by the lightening bolt icon) and wireless activity (noted by the wireless icon). The power icon blinks red when it needs to be charged, amber during charging, and green during normal operation. The Wi-Fi icon blinks green during start-up, goes solid green when it's ready, and blinks blue when it is broadcasting or being accessed wirelessly. As you can see in the image, one of the drawbacks to the sleek finish is that fingerprints will show up easily. If this bothers you, you may want to keep your iPod/iPad cleaning cloth handy.