Seagate has partnered with leading retailers Fry's Electronics and Outpost.com to bring a new class of hard drives direct to retail consumers starting this weekend, and will provide the new retail kits to additional outlets throughout the U.S. later this year. Seagate is the first to offer retail hard drives featuring a new level of consumer-friendly capabilities — they are better protected, and easier to install and maintain than any other retail hard drive.

With Seagate's fast 7,200-rpm performance and capacities of 40, 60 and 80 Gbytes, consumers also get the best combination of innovation, performance, reliability and the quietest operation of any PC hard drive.

"Consumers rely on Seagate as they create and store their art, videos, work, music and games," said Brian Dexheimer, Seagate executive vice president of Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Customer Service. "Consumers have told us that they want hard drives that are uncomplicated, durable and low-maintenance. Products on the market today meet some, but not all of those needs. Seagate's hard drive kit is the only one available to consumers that includes Web-automated installation software, comprehensive diagnostic software to find and correct PC errors, a protective package that resists 1,000 Gs of shock, and a PCB cover on the drive to prevent accidental damage to sensitive components."

Seagate's is the only hard drive offered direct to retail consumers with these features:

* SoftSonic motor enables fast 7200-rpm performance and the world's quietest PC hard drive
* DiscWizard software offers easy, Web-based or CD-based installation
* SeaTools software helps users find the real source of PC or drive issues and thus avoid the misdiagnosis and unnecessary return of hard drives
* SeaShield PCB cover stops damage to sensitive components during handling
* Installation instructions are printed right on the drive, plus a quick and easy installation guide gets users up and running fast
* SeaShell package protects against over 1,000 Gs shock during handling, preventing damaged drives

"Features are so important to end users when buying computer equipment, and Seagate's unique features make it Fry's premier hard drive brand," said Scott Andersen, director of Electronic Components Merchandising and Operations at Fry's Electronics. "Seagate's user-friendly drives really fit consumers' needs. Of course, Seagate drives are used by all of the top PC makers — but Seagate's gone the extra mile with features that help consumers who come to Fry's to upgrade their PCs."

"Seagate has developed advances in user-friendly features like SeaShield, SeaTools, DiscWizard and SeaShell," said Mark Geenen, president of leading market research firm TrendFOCUS. "Retail hard drive customers can benefit directly from these advances that major PC makers have enjoyed."

Seagate's new retail hard drive kits include a fast and quiet 7,200-rpm hard drive, Ultra ATA/100 interface cable, disc utility CD, quick installation guide and mounting screws. The kits are available throughout the U.S. and Canada at Outpost.com, and at Fry's stores in Arizona, California, Oregon and Texas. They will also appear on shelves at other retailers throughout the United States later this year.