WD Announces New External Drives With E-Ink Displays

WD has announced new My Book Elite and My Book Studio external drives with E-Ink displays, as well as, a new My Passport Elite.

The new WD My Book Elite drives feature:
* Smart display - a customizable e-label that reminds users of what is stored on the drive and provides available capacity and security status at-a-glance even when the drive is unplugged;
* Smaller, sleeker, more streamlined design and elegant book-like shape that takes up minimal space and allows multiple My Book drives to nestle together neatly like volumes on a shelf;
* WD SmartWare software that visually present consumers' data in a software control center;
* 256-bit hardware-based encryption and password protection for peace of mind knowing that data is protected from unauthorized access;
* USB 2.0 interface - for convenience and compatibility among multiple computers;
* WD GreenPower Technology™ lowers internal drive power consumption by up to 30 percent, a sleep mode reduces power during idle times, and a power-saving feature turns the drive on and off with your computer;
* Planet-friendly packaging derived from recycled materials to minimize waste;
* NTFS1 formatting and are compatible with Windows® XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7;
* 3-year limited warranty.


MSRP for the My Book Elite drives ranges from 1TB for $169.99 USD to 2TB for $279.99 USD depending on capacity.

[Preorder 1.5 TB My Book Elite ($30 Discount)]




The new WD My Book Studio drives feature:
* Smart display with a customizable e-label that reminds users of what is stored on the drive, available capacity and security status at-a-glance, even when the drive is unplugged;
* High-performance FireWire 800 interface to access data at top speeds and USB 2.0 interface;
* Plug-and-play ready for Mac users and compatible with Apple TimeMachine;
* WD SmartWare software that visually presents consumers' data in a software control center, providing them peace of mind that their precious photos, videos and files are securely protected;
* 256-bit hardware-based encryption and password protection for peace of mind knowing that data is protected from unauthorized access;
* Smaller, sleeker, more streamlined design and elegant book-like shape that takes up minimal space and allows two or more My Book drives to nestle together neatly like volumes on a shelf;
* WD GreenPower Technology™ lowers internal drive power consumption by up to 30 percent, a sleep mode reduces power during idle times, and a power-saving feature turns the drive on and off with your computer;
* Planet-friendly packaging derived from recycled materials to minimize waste;
* HFS + Journaled1 formatting and are compatible with Mac OS X Tiger®, Leopard® and Snow Leopard™;
* 3-year limited warranty.

MSRP ranges from 500GB at $149.99 to 2TB at $299.99 USD depending on model.







The new WD My Passport Elite drives feature:
* Convenient, grab-and-go USB dock connection to computer;
* Premium finish in 3 colors including Anodized Red, Anodized Blue and Charcoal Metallic;
* 256-bit hardware-based encryption for peace of mind knowing that data is protected from unauthorized access;
* USB 2.0 interface that powers the drive directly from the USB port on user's computer, no separate power supply is needed;
* Planet-friendly packaging derived from recycled materials to minimize waste;
* Ready to plug-and-play with Windows PCs, formatted NTFS; and,
* 3-year limited warranty.

MSRP for the 320 GB My Passport Elite is $119.99 USD, $159.99 USD for the 500 GB and $169.99 USD for the 640 GB capacity.