NEW: Western Digital "Passport" USB Drives

[neonerd]

Will soon be evaluating one 🙂

Here's a description of it:

WD Simplifies Data Storage for Travelers With Small,
Rugged USB Drives

WD Passport(TM) Portable USB Hard Drives Provide 80 GB of Pocket-sized,
Plug-n-play Storage

LAKE FOREST, Calif., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Simplifying
transport of large quantities of digital content and information, Western
Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today unveiled its new WD Passport(TM) Portable USB
Hard Drives. With no need for a separate power supply (for most systems), WD
Passport Portable Drives, available in capacities of 40 or 80 GB, are easy to
use anywhere -- simply plug and go.
WD Passport Portable Drives are outfitted with high-performance,
low-power consuming, cool and quiet-running WD Scorpio(TM) 2.5-inch EIDE hard
drives, a rugged, protective case and Data Lifeguard(TM) protection to provide
maximum safeguard from data loss.
WD Passport Portable Drives were designed to serve as a digital file
briefcase by enabling owners to add instant extra storage; slip the drive in
their pocket for on-the-go convenience; back up their notebook computers for
extra data safety; easily share files between computers; and lock up the
portable hard drive for extra security. An 80 GB WD Passport Portable USB
Drive can store approximately 20 2-hour DVD-quality movies or over 1,300 hours
of music.
WD Passport Portable Drives will be available at retail stores next month.
For customers who prefer the ease of online shopping, WD's new Portable USB
drives may be pre-ordered via the company's online store
(www.westerndigital.com/wdpassport). Customers who pre-order a WD Passport
Portable Drive by Nov. 30, 2004, are eligible to receive free shipping with
delivery scheduled on or before Dec. 24, 2004, making WD Passport Portable
Drives available as a holiday gift for travelers. Full details of this
promotion are available on WD's online store. Suggested retail pricing for WD
Passport Portable USB Drive 40 GB capacity is $199 (USD) and $249 (USD) for
80 GB.
WD Passport Portable Drives are able to withstand the rigors of mobile
professionals and other users who prefer to take their data with them. Safety
tests make them one of the few external drives with certification to meet all
applicable safety requirements. A product specification sheet and photos of
WD Passport Portable Drives are available on the company's Web site at
http://www.westerndigital.com/...oducts.asp?DriveID=110.
"No one does more to safeguard customers' data than WD," said Lonnie
Arima, vice president and general manager for WD's retail products group.
"Only a hard drive manufacturer has the in-depth expertise to design
enclosures that protect users' data. And only WD combines Data Lifeguard data
protection with WD Scorpio 2.5-inch hard drives -- the most rugged and
reliable 2.5-inch hard drive in its class -- to deliver a portable USB hard
drive dependable enough for our customers to consider it the portable file for
their digital life."

 

[NumbaJuan]

That is a nice little drive! I think it will be fine for some users and find its place in the market.

 

[SonicIce]

🙁 Thats expensive. Neat though.

 

[Tab]

Find me something simaller to a credit card (It needs to fit in my wallet) and that is waterproof and can hold ~5GBs.

I'll buy that.

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: Tabb
Find me something simaller to a credit card (It needs to fit in my wallet) and that is waterproof and can hold ~5GBs.

I'll buy that.

what kind of interface would that be if it were to be that thin? I recall there being a pen drive ~512MB like that, but it needed to be inserted into a small adapter in order to be able to plug in...If you would need to carry around an adapter, i'd say it's not really worth it. In that situation, is it not better to get a 5GB SD/memory stick or something, and just carry that around? very thin... I'll ask WD if they have any plans on releasing something like you're talking about, but Can you give me some more details on it?

 

[FishTankX]

Simple. Integrate the harddrives of the iPod Mini and the new Muvo's. They're barley bigger than a CF card, 5GB's, and likely won't run you more than a hundred something bucks.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Personally I'm okay with regular-sized (e.g. 3.5" in slim case) USB-powered ext HDDs with good capacities (>= 80GB). But I guess that's the domain of notebook companies like IBM or Hitachi. I wonder if WD has any plans to expand to that area?