macnn/electronista

01/30/2008, 9:00am, EST

Wednesday, January 30th

WD alters My Passport Essential, tops 320GB

Western Digital began Wednesday by introducing a redesigned version of the My Passport Essential external notebook drive. In addition to a new look that is said to recall the company's desktop-minded My Book drives, the Essential is designed to be as simple to setup as possible. Both Macs and PCs can plug the drive into a USB port and have it in use almost immediately. On Windows PCs, both the WD Sync backup and data encryption software as well as a suite of Google tools install automatically the first time the drive is plugged in. Most notebooks can power the drive entirely from the USB port rather than a separate (but still optional) external power cable.

The restyled My Passport is also the most capacious with a top version shipping with 320GB of storage; Western Digital estimates the space is enough for 80,000 compressed music tracks or 38 hours of HD video. The company ships the 320GB version today for $200 and also offers 160GB and 250GB versions at lower prices.


Filed under: upgrades/storage
Other story tags: Western Digital

, , 1 comment, del.icio.us, slashdot, digg, buzz, 
1 comment
Reader Reactions (Please use <i></i> for italic text)

subscribe to comments
for this article




Expand All   Global Settings
malax
Google tools?
0
01/31, 2:13am, EST
Why would I want a hard drive to "[install automatically] a suite of Google tools the first time the drive is plugged in"? Sounds like a trojan horse rather than a feature. It might be a fine product, but I don't understand the value of this feature.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Aug 2006
User is offline
Your Comments

In order to post comments: If you are a registered member, please login with your MacNN Forums username and password otherwise please uncheck the checkbox below.


Registered Member?
macnn forums login:

macnn forums password:

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

Click Now for Great Deals on FUJITSU Products!: Limited Time Offer on Lifebook Notebooks, Tablet PCs, and Ultra-Mobile PCs!

Get Special Offers on LENOVO Mobility Solutions!: TopSeller Desktops, affordable Notebooks, and much more while supplies last!

Get Special Rebates on SONY Mobility Solutions!: Synnex Resellers - Take advantage of Special Offers on a variety of Notebook series from Sony today!

Check out Rebates on MOTION COMPUTING Tablets!: Perfect for any Healthcare provider! Buy now and get rebates on Motion C5 and LE1700 Tablet PCs!

Get VMware Fusion for 50% off for ONE DAY ONLY!: Run Windows on a Mac without rebooting with VMware Fusion

Buy from The Apple Store, iTunes.com, Amazon.com, TechDepot, OfficeDepot, Computers4Sure, or donate.