Seagate Technology on Thursday introduced the Maxtor OneTouch 4 line of external hard disk drives. OneTouch 4 systems provide automatic file backup and synchronization capabilities for Mac and PC.
The devices get their name from the single button that automatically activates backup s from the host computer. The OneTouch 4 features a new synchronization feature that lets you sync files between two computers. You can also lock content using encryption to protect it from prying eyes.
The “basic” OneTouch 4 features a black design and capacities from 250GB to 750GB. Inside is a 7200RPM hard disk drive mechanism with 16MB cache buffer. It connects to a Mac or PC using USB 2.0, and measures 2.5 x 5.88 x 6.75 inches. It comes in 250GB, 500GB and 750GB capacities for $99.99, $169.99 and $269.99 respectively.
The OneTouch 4 Plus adds FireWire 400, and also comes in 250GB, 500GB and 750GB versions, for $99.99, $199.99 and $289.99 respectively. A 1 terabyte (TB) version is coming in late October for $359.99.
The OneTouch 4 Mini is a portable drive system that measures 4.9 x .59 x 3.22 inches. It uses USB 2.0 specifically, but weighs less than six ounces. Because a smaller hard drive mechanism is used (a 2.5-inch drive working at 5400RPM with 8MB of cache buffer), capacities are lower: The OneTouch 4 Mini comes in 80GB, 120GB and 160GB sizes for $99.99, $119.99 and $149.99.
System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4.7 or later and 256MB RAM.
Editor’s note: Reference to a rollback feature — part of Maxtor’s SafetyDrill feature — has been removed, as that is Windows-only.