The new Backup Plus is a capacious, fast external hard drive that is hampered by sub-par software.
The Seagate Backup Plus drives (available in 500G to 1T configurations) work with USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports. An 18" USB 3.0 cable is included, which is a might short for many computers, particularly those whose only 3.0 port is located on the back of the tower. The drive will also work with a Firewire 800 or Thunderbolt adapter - both of which are optional and sold separately. Since the USB port is often the thing that slows down restoration of backup files, the ability to use USB 3.0 or ports faster than standard USB 2.0 on properly equipped systems is a real plus.
Seagate jumped onto the social media bandwagon with this drive. You can automatically save videos and photos from your Facebook and Flkr accounts, though not your entire timeline/comments/likes/etc. Like many apps, this one wants permission to write on your wall. I found this unnecessary and intrusive. I don't need a backup program spamming my wall; just copy the data and move on. More bizarre is that after the data had been backed up I couldn't find it. Instead of putting it on the external drive (which you presumably bought to use with its included backup software) it put the pictures and videos on drive C. Yes, you can change it, but why make users go hunting?
The software also is supposed to let you upload pictures to Facebook and other social media sites. When I tried to send some photos to Facebook, however, I got a not-to-helpful message "upload failed". Apparently the software isn't sophisticated enough to pass on the error message from the site, or diagnose the problem.
I also found the software slow to start - giving no feedback that it was loading - and, the interface is often confusing. Do you click on the check mark, the arrow, or just wait because it is slow to start?
I've written extensively on my love for the backup software that Seagate used to include on some of its drives. Manufactured by Rebit, the software gives image and file level backup. This drive only comes with automatic backup of your files, it won't bring back a failed system. In other words if your computer crashes you'll first need to reload all your operating system and programs before you'll use the backup data to get your files back. I much prefer an automated system that provides soup-to-nuts backup of your whole computer. Happily you can buy Rebit separately.
So, get the drive ($139 in a 1T configurations), get the software, and keep your system backed up!
