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Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo is available now starting at $600

Billy Steele — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST

Back at Macworld, we laid our peepers on Western Digital's MyBook Thunderbolt Duo and were able to take a demo setup for a quick spin. Now, the dual-wielding external HDDs are officially on the market. You can snag 4TB (2x 2TB) and 6TB (2x 3TB) versions of this "über-fast" MyBook for $599 and $699, respectively. Don't forget: you can daisy chain up to six of these bad boys via the dual Thunderbolt ports on the kit's backside (if you have quite the piggy bank, of course) -- just like the four-unit set we encountered sporting 700MB/sec read and 500MB/sec write speeds in RAID 0. WD also says the storage devices are Time Machine compatible as soon as you can unpack 'em. If you're anxious to grab one of your own, hit the source link below to part with your funds. And for a quick refresher, take a gander at the gallery below.

Gallery: Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video)

Continue reading Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo is available now starting at $600

Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo is available now starting at $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital's My Book Live Duo marries RAID and cloud storage, bytes everywhere celebrate

Darren Murph — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:48:00 EST

Not only is it the chunkiest My Book we've ever seen, but it possesses the otherworldly ability to live in the here and now and the hereafter. Analogies aside, the new My Book Live Duo is hailed as such: "a personal cloud storage system that combines the benefits of shared storage and remote access with double-safe backup or increased capacity of a dual-drive system with RAID." It's compatible with Mac and PC systems (and yes, Time Machine support is thrown in for good measure), and you'll find a pair of drives within the casing alongside an 800MHz CPU and an Ethernet port. WD's hawking these in 4TB (2 x 2TB) and 6TB (2 x 3TB) capacities, and if you weren't already sold, the units ship with support for the company's WD2go remote access platform -- something that's accessible via the web, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Android. Finally, there's a DLNA-certified media streaming badge, and it's available as we speak at select US retailers for $399.99 (4TB) / $499.99 (6TB).

Continue reading Western Digital's My Book Live Duo marries RAID and cloud storage, bytes everywhere celebrate

Western Digital's My Book Live Duo marries RAID and cloud storage, bytes everywhere celebrate originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital's My Book Studio jumps to 3TB, dons Mac-approved brushed aluminum garb

Darren Murph — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:16:00 EST

Hard to say how long WD's going to keep its My Book line a-churnin', but when you've got a good thing going.... The outfit has just announced a gently refreshed version of its My Book Studio, now available in capacities reaching 3TB and sporting a flashy new exterior that should blend right into your Mac Pro + Cinema Display setup. Much like the G-Force drives of yesteryear, these new models are equipped with a brushed aluminum casing and rely on Western Digital's Caviar Green HDDs to handle the ints and outs. You'll also find FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces, meaning that Thunderbolt aficionados should probably be turning their nose up right about now. The new guys are available at "select retailers and distributors" as we speak, with pricing set at $149.99 (1TB), $199.99 (2TB) and $249.99 (3TB).

Continue reading Western Digital's My Book Studio jumps to 3TB, dons Mac-approved brushed aluminum garb

Western Digital's My Book Studio jumps to 3TB, dons Mac-approved brushed aluminum garb originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital Nomad case protects your My Passport drive from falls, spills, and curious lizards

Jesse Hicks — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:25:00 EST

It's possible -- likely, even -- that you're reading this while jumping out of a plane, wrestling a mountain lion, or having some equally hardcore adventure. If so, you're just the type of active consumer Western Digital's courting with its Nomad case. Designed for the My Passport external hard drive line, it combines a hard polycarbonate exterior with an elastomer interior that keeps the drive snug and secure, and provides another option if you'd rather upgrade your existing drive than spend the clams on a rugged one. It includes a USB port, making your data accessible even when the case is closed, and will set you back $30 according to WD. Lizard not included.

Continue reading Western Digital Nomad case protects your My Passport drive from falls, spills, and curious lizards

Western Digital Nomad case protects your My Passport drive from falls, spills, and curious lizards originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital's new My Book Studio Edition II has 6TB on offer, but no Thunderbolt or USB 3.0

Tim Stevens — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:32:00 EST

If you want a lot of the GBs in not a lot of space, 3TB per disk is about as good as you're going to get. Western Digital has slapped two of its triple-terabyte monsters into a dual-disk enclosure and paired it with eSATA and FireWire 800 interfaces to create the My Book Studio Edition II. There's a good 'ol USB 2.0 hole in there as well, but no USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt for those getting hip with the new connections. Time Machine support is baked in as well as your choice of RAID configurations, all at a cost of $549.99. That's a good bit more than you'd spend if you bought a pair of disks and an empty enclosure, but such is the price of convenience.

Gallery: WD My Book Studio Edition II

Continue reading Western Digital's new My Book Studio Edition II has 6TB on offer, but no Thunderbolt or USB 3.0

Western Digital's new My Book Studio Edition II has 6TB on offer, but no Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital debuts My Book Live NAS / media streamer, revamped My Photos app

Darren Murph — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:11:00 EST

The My Book Live definitely doesn't mark Western Digital's first foray into the world of connected storage, but the devil's in the details on this one. The company's newly released network drive falls into the budget-friendly My Book line, but promises access to files at up 100Mbps, or triple the speed of standard USB 2.0 units. Additionally, Apple Time Machine support comes baked in from the factory, and there's also an integrated DLNA-compatible media server that can stream photos, videos and audio through any number of devices (WD TV Live Plus HD, Xbox 360, your Blu-ray player, a PlayStation 3, etc.). It'll also double (triple?) as an iTunes music server, and when paired with the company's refreshed WD Photos app -- which is now optimized for iPad and iPhone 4 -- users can flip through their photo albums remotely. The My Book Live is now available for $169.99 (1TB) / $229.99 (2TB), and the aforementioned app can be sucked down as we speak from the action-packed App Store.

Gallery: Western Digital debuts My Book Live NAS / media streamer, revamped My Photos app

Western Digital debuts My Book Live NAS / media streamer, revamped My Photos app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD announces 3TB single-drive My Book Essential, two USB 3.0 Passport drives

Darren Murph — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:47:00 EST

You may or may not have noticed, but Western Digital just followed up on Seagate's earlier efforts by breaking out a 3TB external drive of its own -- one that has just a single HDD within. The newest My Book Essential not only houses a 3TB drive, but also packs a USB 3.0 port on the rear and the same rounded black shell that you've come to know and love / hate. If that's far too much for you to swallow (or simply too large to haul around), the My Passport Essential and My Passport Essential SE lines are also being bumped to USB 3.0, with the former shipping in a 500GB version and the latter in 750GB / 1TB. Both of those guys are powered entirely over USB and ship in a variety of mind-bending hues, with pricing starting at $99.99 for the 500 gigger and running up to $249.99 for more space than you'll ever need.

Gallery: WD announces 3TB single-drive My Book Essential, two USB 3.0 Passport drives

Continue reading WD announces 3TB single-drive My Book Essential, two USB 3.0 Passport drives

WD announces 3TB single-drive My Book Essential, two USB 3.0 Passport drives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital My Book 3.0 goes SuperSpeed USB

Nilay Patel — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:38:00 EST

Western Digital's kicking off the expected flood of USB 3.0 announcements here at CES with the new My Book 3.0 series. The 1TB version of the SuperSpeed drive is actually available now for $179, or $199 in a kit with a USB 3.0 adapter card, while a 2TB version will hit next week. That's actually not a terrible deal if you're into futureproofing, since USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 -- you could theoretically use this drive with both your current machine and your next one. Or you could just keep buying cheap storage for the thrill of it. We won't judge you.

Western Digital My Book 3.0 goes SuperSpeed USB originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD unveils new My Books with e-paper, while My Passport shrinks even further

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:23:00 EST

Good news for hardcore portable storage buffs: looks like Western Digital is taking a hint from Verbatim and putting an e-paper display on its My Book Elite and My Book Studio portable hard drives, offering the device's label and free space up-front, perfect for those of us juggling multiple portable storage devices. In addition, both offer WD SmartWare, 256-bit hardware-based encryption, and are available in capacities ranging from 500GB to 2TB. My Book Studio (formatted for Mac and sportin' a FireWire 800 interface) ranges from $149.99 to $299.99 depending on size, while My Book Elite (with a USB 2.0 interface and NTFS formatting) will run you anywhere from $169.99 to $279.99.

If what you're looking for however, is the company's "smallest drive to date," check out My Passport Elite. Featuring a USB dock, illuminated capacity gauge, a secure "drive lock" indicator, and that 256-bit hardware-based encryption, this bad boy is sports up to 640GB storage (which will run you $169.99). This one is available in one of three "metallic" colors -- Metallic Red, Metallic Blue, or Charcoal Metallic. Sadly, the company hasn't yet teamed up with MusicSkins for a Metallica skin -- but our fingers are crossed.

Read - My Book Studio
Read - My Book Elite
Read - My Passport Elite

Filed under: Storage

WD unveils new My Books with e-paper, while My Passport shrinks even further originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD unveils new My Books, My Passports for Windows and Mac

Joseph L. Flatley — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:08:00 EST

And we have storage for you! WD's refreshing a number of its external HDD storage devices, a move that's sure to put a smile on the face of many a young media hound. The new My Book Essential is available in 1TB ($149), 2TB ($229.99) 500GB ($99.99), while the My Book for Mac is available with 1TB for $149.99. My Passport Essential can be had in capacities of 500GB ($139) or 320GB ($99.99), while My Passport for Mac is going out there in 500GB ($149.99) and 320GB ($119.99) sizes. All these guys feature SmartWare software for data management, and all are available now in a wide range of earth-shattering, psychedelic colors (well, four -- including black).

Read - My Book Essential

Read - My Book for Mac
Read - My Passport Essential
Read - My Passport for Mac

Filed under: Storage

WD unveils new My Books, My Passports for Windows and Mac originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD My Book gets wrapped in leather, just like a real book

Darren Murph — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:03:00 EST

Not that we haven't seen this game played before, but this demonstration is definitely the best we've seen amongst the tech book puns. Put as simply as possible, one talented modder has wrapped his Western Digital My Book NAS drive in beautiful leather and stacked it fittingly on his bookshelf. Aside from that glowing ring, you probably couldn't tell which of the above was filled with paper and which was filled with, um, really important tax documents. Check the read link for loads more shots and plenty of inspiration.

[Via technabob]

Filed under: Storage

WD My Book gets wrapped in leather, just like a real book originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 May 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital My Book series bumped to 2TB

Nilay Patel — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:38:00 EST

Western Digital's extremely popular My Book series of external hard drives got a little capacity boost today: all the single disk models now max out at 2TB. Not bad for the $330 - $380 you'll spend depending on port configuration, but that's a lot of data to trust to one disk -- we'd have a backup strategy firmly in place before plunking down the green.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Storage

Western Digital My Book series bumped to 2TB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD debuts My Book World Edition NAS, we go hands-on

Donald Melanson — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:24:00 EST

While some NAS devices can get a bit unwieldy or unsightly, that is thankfully not the case with Western Digital's new My Book World Edition, which keeps things clean and simple without skimping on the features most folks are looking for. Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities ($230 and $450, respectively) this one boasts both DLNA 1.5 and UPnP certification to allow for streaming with a variety of devices, and it packs a single USB port to let you turn any other USB drive into a network drive, though you're out of luck if you were hoping to plug a printer in there. What's more, our pals at Engadget Spanish have already managed to get their hands on one, and they've naturally wasted no time doing a complete unboxing. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look, and be sure to check back later for their full impressions.

Gallery: WD debuts My Book World Edition NAS, we go hands-on

Filed under: Storage, Networking

WD debuts My Book World Edition NAS, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD pumps out My Passport for Mac / My Book Mac Edition

Darren Murph — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:44:00 EST

We'll wager you didn't know Macworld was going on today, did you? Pathetic jokes aside, Western Digital has lined up a pair of launches today in San Francisco to coincide with Apple's final Macworld keynote, as we're treated to the My Passport for Mac portable HDD and the My Book Mac Edition. Truthfully, the only real difference between these drives and their vanilla counterparts is the pre-format process; with these, they both come "pre-formatted for Mac," saving you the tiresome task of converting 'em to HFS+ Journaled yourself. Additionally, these USB 2.0 drives are made to work "seamlessly" with Apple's Time Machine backup software, and they'll arrive in capacities including 320GB and 500GB (My Passport) / 1TB (My Book). Both units should be available now for between $129.99 and $179.99.

Filed under: Storage

WD pumps out My Passport for Mac / My Book Mac Edition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD's My Book Mirror Edition simplifies redundant storage

Darren Murph — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:40:00 EST

That sound you hear is Western Digital grabbing hold of an udder and not letting go as it continues to milk the My Book brand for every penny it's worth. Today, the outfit is introducing a new line of dual-drive units that come ready to mirror whatever information you shove on 'em. The RAID-based Mirror Edition drives tout USB 2.0 connectivity, RAID 1/0 support, a fanless design, user serviceable enclosure, a capacity gauge and intelligent drive management features including automatic power-up and Safe Shutdown. The external HDDs arrive in RAID 1 (mirrored) mode -- which creates automatic duplicates of your files in case one drive fails -- but RAID 0 (striped) can be configured during setup. Stack your My Book collection even higher right now for $289.99 (1TB) / $549.99 (2TB).

Filed under: Storage

WD's My Book Mirror Edition simplifies redundant storage originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital pumps out the My Book Studio Edition II

Nilay Patel — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:12:00 EST

Confused by all the various permutations of Western Digital's My Book line of external drives yet? No? Well, go ahead and add the My Book Studio Edition II to your stack of flashcards, Mr. Smart Face. Just like the previous 2TB My Book products, you're getting two RAID 0 drives in a quad-interface external case, only this time it's the updated My Book Studio design. WD's also gone and upgraded the drives themselves to GreenPower units, which run cooler and use less power, and Mac users will be pleased to know that everything comes HFS+ formatted. Got that? Expect a quiz in the near future. Available now, we're told, at $349 for 1TB and $599 for 2TB.

Filed under: Storage

Western Digital pumps out the My Book Studio Edition II originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital intros quad interface My Book Studio Edition

Darren Murph — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:42:00 EST

Don't say Iomega is the only bunch using the Apple Expo to unveil a new hard drive, as Western Digital is expanding its (recently expanded) My Book lineup once more with the Studio Edition. This unit comes formatted for Macs, is available in sizes ranging from 320GB to 1TB and features a quadruple interface giving users the option of using USB 2.0, FireWire 400 / 800, or eSATA. Additionally, the drive offers up "automatic, continuous backup," a capacity gauge, five-year warranty, SmartPower feature, a fanless design to keep things quiet, and of course, an "elegant silver metallic finish that perfectly complements other Mac products." The new crew is available now from $199.99 to $399.99 depending on capacity.

Filed under: Storage

Western Digital intros quad interface My Book Studio Edition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital unveils slimmer, sleeker My Book lineup

Darren Murph — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:10:00 EST

Just months ago, we saw Western Digital offer up a 2TB version of its My Book dual-drive line, and now the firm is introducing a "smaller, sleeker" family for those obsessed with style. Among the newcomers are the slimmer My Book Home Edition, My Book Office Edition, and My Book Essential Edition 2.0, all of which will be available in sizes ranging from 320GB to 1TB. Of note, you'll still find the same USB 2.0 connectivity (plus FireWire 400 and eSATA on the Home Edition), bundled backup features, and SmartPower functionality that automatically powers the drive on and off with the attached PC / Mac. The recently made-over trio is available now for $129.99 to $379.99 depending on model and capacity, and you can take a look at the rest of the gang after the break.

Continue reading Western Digital unveils slimmer, sleeker My Book lineup

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Western Digital unveils slimmer, sleeker My Book lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital rolls out 2TB My Book external hard drives

Donald Melanson — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:12:00 EST

Just in case 1.5TB wasn't enough for you, Western Digital's now gone and topped off its entire range of dual-drive My Book external hard drives with a full 2TB of storage. That includes the My Book World Edition II, the My Book Pro Edition II, and My Book Premium Edition II models, each of which appear to be otherwise unchanged from their previous incarnations. Of course, all that storage excess doesn't exactly come cheap, with the 2TB versions of the drives running between $749 and $799 depending on the model.

Filed under: Storage

Western Digital rolls out 2TB My Book external hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD My Library drives aimed at DVR owners

Joshua Topolsky — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:38:00 EST

Western Digital appears to be cozying up to the consumer side of the DVR market with its latest offering, the My Library Video Edition, a version of its popular My Book hard drive which is designed specifically for use with Scientific Atlanta 8300-series DVRs (though the company claims it will be adding manufacturers and models which utilize eSATA). What's interesting to note is that WD has been making OEM drives for use with DVRs for a while, but this is the first time they've offered models aimed at the retail DVR storage market, and while the OEM drives feature technology designed to withstand constant, round-the-clock use, these new models appear to be missing those components. Certainly food for thought if you were planning on putting one of these through its paces.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage

WD My Library drives aimed at DVR owners originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital's My Book family updated to 1.5TB

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:01:00 EST

Western Digital just upped their My Book family of storage solutions to 1.5TB. The update apparently applies to the magnificently confusing range of products including the World Edition, World Edition II, Pro Edition, Pro Edition II, Premium Edition II, Premium ES Edition, Premium Edition, and Essential Edition... which isn't all that essential considering the alternatives. However, the obtusely worded press release and lagging web site and on-line store has us scratching our collective heads. So let's just say that the My Book World Edition NAS products have been updated and call it a day.

Filed under: Storage

Western Digital's My Book family updated to 1.5TB originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital's My Book getting a 1TB Pro II Edition?

Thomas Ricker — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:00:00 EST

You won't find this on Western Digital's site yet, but eagle-eyed tipster Scott, came across this unannounced 1TB My Book Pro II Edition external storage solution while shopping Provantage. This is a dual-drive system so we're looking at a couple of 500GB drives spinning at 7200RPM packed in a bulls-eye tome with Firewire 400 / 800 and USB 2.0 interfaces. Features include RAID 0/1, backup and recovery software, and 3 year warranty for $513.49, exactly. Sorry, no product image, but other than a color change, the Pro II isn't likely to differ from the existing My Book lineup pictured. No reason to doubt this is coming, it's gonna happen sooner or later.

Update: Yup, it's the real deal, and reader Michael G. was kind enough to direct us the 1TB MyBook's Buy.com page. As we suspected, it looks pretty much the same as the less capacious versions, although this new "book" is so fat that it seems WD is really stretching the whole attempt at literary camoflauge it's got going on here.

[Thanks, Scott]

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Western Digital's My Book getting a 1TB Pro II Edition? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WD adds FireWire 800 to MyBook Pro external drives

Evan Blass — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 15:19:00 EST

So if you were interested in one of those decorative MyBook hard drives from Western Digital, but the spouse/kids felt that its FireWire 400 port just wasn't fast enough for their data transferring needs, now the whole family may be able to agree on these drives-in-disguise thanks to a key spec bump in the Professional series. Both the 500GB and 200GB Pro models now come with a FireWire 800 connection -- giving you maximum transfer speeds of 800Mbps -- along with the previous FireWire and USB 2.0 jacks, which offer pokier 400Mbps and 480Mbps, respectively. Shipping now, these models will set you back $350 or $220, depending on capacity.

[Via Reg Hardware]

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

WD adds FireWire 800 to MyBook Pro external drives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jun 2006 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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