Seagate Readies 500 GB Version of 9 mm-thick FreeAgent

Seagate is working on a new variant of the 9 mm-thick FreeAgent portable hard drive it launched back in April 2011. The new variant features a fast 7200 RPM drive, with a capacity of 500 GB. The original model had 320 GB capacity. Measuring 124 x 78 x 9 mm, and weighing 160 g, the drives take advantage of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, with a single cable handling power and connectivity. The new 500 GB variant costs about $170, which is very high compared to the launch price of the 320 GB variant, which was around $99, but then you have to take into account the escalation of HDD prices across the industry since September 2011.