IRVINE, Calif. – Mar. 20, 2012 – Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC) today announced the next generation of its top-selling My Passport® line of portable hard drives, offering consumers a fresh new enclosure design and the first-ever 2 TB capacity in a portable drive. Now available in five popular colors: white, black, silver, blue, and red, with a range of capacities beginning from 500 GB, the new sleeker My Passport portable drives offer digital consumers an appealing array of storage options that reflect their personal style. Additionally, the new My Passport drives offer

WD SmartWareâ„¢ automatic backup software and WD Securityâ„¢ for password protection and hardware encryption.
With the addition of premium finishes, specially-engineered to make the outer shell more resistant to scratches and fingerprints, the new My Passport external drives feature ultra-fast USB 3.0 connectivity; USB 2.0 compatibility; continuous, automatic backup software; and password protection with hardware encryption. The included software offers the flexibility to customize the drive to a user’s storage preferences: installing all features, just the components needed, or using the drive without the software. The new 2 TB model offers massive capacity in an amazing pocket-sized enclosure, affording plenty of secure storage for all of one’s photos, video, music and other important files.

Given the small form factor and easy portability of My Passport drives, the built-in security features of password protection and hardware encryption help protect files from unauthorized use, making the drives safe data repositories for data while offering peace of mind to busy consumers on the go.
“More than money, jewelry and other valuables, the item most missed if ever lost or stolen is one’s computer – and everything on it – so our goal in launching the next-generation of the popular My Passport drives is to encourage more consumers to protect their data before something happens,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups. “The new My Passport makes backing up and preserving one’s digital life easier, reliable and more secure than ever – it’s the perfect blend of monstrous capacity, reliability and user-friendly technology in a sleek form factor, now in five colors.”

Pricing and Availability
My Passport drives come with a 2-year limited warranty are available online at the WD store at www.wdstore.com and at select retailers and distributors. MSRP is $129.99 USD for 500 GB, $149.99 USD for 750 GB, $179.99 USD for 1 TB, $199.99 for 1.5 TB and $249.99 USD for the new 2 TB edition

WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES RUGGED CASE Built for the harsh realities of life. WD Nomad(TM) Rugged Case for My Passport(R) portable hard drives. (PRNewsFoto/Western Digital Technologies) IRVINE, CA UNITED STATES
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WESTERN DIGITAL LOGO Western Digital Corp. logo. (PRNewsFoto) LAKE FOREST, CA USA 23 November 2004
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IRVINE, Calif., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — WD® (NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced the WD Nomadâ„¢ rugged case (photos), a durable case designed to protect My Passport® portable hard drives from drops as high as seven feet, moisture and spills and other mishaps associated with active, on-the-go lifestyles, such as those of outdoor photographers, adventurers and other road warriors.

The WD Nomad rugged case features a polycarbonate exterior and shock-absorbing elastomer cushion inside. It conforms to strict military standards (MIL-STD-810G) for ruggedness. The heavy-duty latch and silicon liner seal out dirt, dust, and moisture.

The WD Nomad rugged case is ideal for hikers, business travelers, outdoor and travel photographers, and others who professionally or personally bring their digital equipment and assets with them. The uniquely functional design includes an opening for the drive’s USB connector, so the user can access the drive while it remains in the case. In addition, a molded exterior ring allows users to attach a carabiner, cable, or nylon strap for more convenient accessibility.

“Consumers and professionals are more mobile than ever before and portable hard drives allow them to take their videos, photos and other files everywhere they go,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group. “As the worldwide leader in external storage, WD understands how to protect data on hard drives, and we have put the same commitment to quality into the design of this rugged case. With the My Passport drive and WD Nomad rugged case, owners can rest assured they are doing everything they can to protect their digital lives whether they’re traveling for fun or doing their daily commute.”

“My work as an adventure photographer/filmmaker takes me to remote locations all over the planet. I have always depended upon the ultra-reliable My Passport portable hard drives to back-up my images and video, but Mother Nature has often made this task a bit of a challenge,” said Bruce Dorn of the Directors Guild of America and WD Creative Master. “I am often in the wettest, nastiest, grimiest, and most remote locations, so I am thrilled by the new WD Nomad rugged case. Tough as a vault, these handsome new cases are now a permanent part of my kit.”

The new WD Nomad rugged case is compatible with My Passport drives including My Passport Essential™, My Passport Essential SE, My Passport Elite™, My Passport for Mac®, and My Passport SE for Mac.

The WD Nomad rugged case is available now at WD’s online store (www.wdstore.com) and select U.S. retailers. MSRP is $29.95 USD.

About WD

WD, one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users’ data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and home entertainment products.

WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s website (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Western Digital, WD, the WD logo and My Passport are registered trademarks; WD Nomad is a trademark of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. Limited warranty applies to WD Nomad case only, not the product inside. See WD’s limited warranty terms and conditions at http://support.wdc.com/warranty/policy.asp?custtype=end⟨=en for details.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110614/LA18785)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000711/WDCLOGO)

SOURCE Western Digital Technologies