SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Connectivity Now Available with My Book and My Passport External Hard Drives
WD® introduced its new My Passport® Essential portable hard drive, My Passport® Essential SE portable hard drive, and My Book® Essential external hard drive. All three drive families come in a variety of capacities and offer lightning-fast USB 3.0 connectivity. Highest industry capacity is another key feature for the My Book Essential drive, which is now available in 3 TB capacity, in addition to 1 and 2 TB capacities. Equipped with WD SmartWare visual backup software for automatic, continuous backup, these drives provide users the extra space they need to store or back up all of their digital memories, such as high-resolution photos and videos, along with music and other critical files, all in one place.
The drives not only take advantage of the latest blazing-fast USB 3.0 technology, but are also fully compatible with USB 2.0 connections for those who have yet to upgrade their computers to USB 3.0. When connected to a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port, consumers can transfer data at speeds up to 5 Gb/s. At that rate, a two-hour HD video will transfer in as little as three minutes. The same two-hour video would take approximately 13 minutes to transfer on a USB 2.0 port.
My Passport Essential, still WD's smallest portable drive, is available in a 500 GB capacity and comes in five fun colors — Midnight Black, Cool Silver, Real Red, Pacific Blue and Arctic White (Arctic White only available in EMEA and APAC). My Passport Essential SE portable hard drives are available in 750 GB and 1 TB capacities and come in stylish black, silver, metallic blue and metallic red colors. The pocket-sized My Passport portable hard drives are powered directly through the USB cable; no separate power supply is needed.
My Book Essential, the world's number-one selling hard drive, also impresses with its small footprint, sleek design and high-capacity storage ranging from 1 TB up to a massive 3 TB. The drive is compatible with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, and uses WD SmartWare visual backup software.
Features:
My Book Essential external hard drives, My Passport Essential and My Passport Essential SE portable hard drives feature:
- Dual USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces
- Up to 3x faster transfer rates when compared to USB 2.0
- WD SmartWare software for automatic, continuous backup
- Password protection for privacy
- Planet-friendly packaging from recycled materials which can, in turn, also be recycled
Capacity and Compatibility
The My Passport Essential portable hard drive is available in 500 GB capacity. The My Passport Essential SE portable hard drive is available in 750 GB and 1 TB capacities. The My Book Essential external hard drive is available in 1 TB, 1.5 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB capacities. The drives are formatted NTFS for Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, or Windows 7. These drives require reformatting for Mac® OS® X Leopard® or Snow Leopard®.
Price and Availability
My Passport Essential portable hard drives and My Book Essential external hard drives offer a 2-year limited warranty in the U.S. and are now available.
- My Passport Essential portable drive is $99.99
- My Passport Essential SE drives ranges from $129.99 to $169.99
- My Book Essential drives ranges from $129.99 to $249.99
