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WD (NYSE: WDC) introduced its new 500 GB capacity My Passport Portable USB Drives which are designed to make it easy to store a half a terabyte of music, videos or photos and carry them in the palm of your hand. Available now at WD’s online store (www.shopwd.com), the new 500 GB capacity is offered on the My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drive models.

Weighing in at less than 7 ounces and designed to withstand the rigors of everyday use, the new 500 GB My Passport portable drives are small enough to fit in a pocket or backpack for easy portability.

WD’s My Passport Portable USB Drives with 500 GB capacity are available now at WD’s online store (www.shopwd.com). MSRP for the My Passport family of portable drives with 400 GB and 500 GB capacities ranges from $179.99 USD to $219.99 USD depending on model. The My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drives are offered in the following capacities: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, 400 GB and 500 GB.  

Unique features of the My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drives include: USB-bus powered, which eliminates the need for an external power adapter[; synchronization software that lets users sync their changes and protect their information with 128-bit encryption; plug-and-play capability with gaming consolesto make it easy to play music and view photos and video files on a TV. My Passport Essential portable drives are available in 11 fashionable colors.

Additional features of the My Passport Elite portable drives include: Capacity gauge that enables users to know at-a-glance how much space is available; powerful automatic backup software lets users designate files and folders for automatic and continuous backup; retrieve forgotten files from the road from any MioNet-enabled PC (compatible with Windows only) and copy them to My Passport portable drive using the unique MioNet Key software.

 www.westerndigital.com

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WD has added a high-speed FireWire® 800 interface to its popular My Passport Studio portable drive to give Mac computer users and creative professionals the fast performance they need.  The new interface also makes this drive a perfect storage companion for the newly introduced Apple MacBook Pro computer. With FireWire 800/400 and USB interfaces, the new My Passport Studio portable drives offer up to 500 GB of storage capacity, are formatted for Mac.

A built-in, illuminated capacity gauge tells users how much space is available in the drive and because it is powered by the FireWire or USB connection, it is truly portable.  In addition, My Passport Studio can be used to backup Mac laptops using Apple’s Time Machine application.

Availability and Price
Available now at select retailers and at WD’s online store (www.shopwd.com), MSRP for My Passport Studio with FireWire 800/400 interfaces and 500 GB capacity is $249.99 USD; MSRP for 400 GB capacity is $229.99 USD. Apple Retail Stores will feature My Passport Studio drives with the new FireWire 800 interface this holiday season.

Ultra-fast and Mac computer-ready, the My Passport Studio portable drive includes the following features:
- High-performance FireWire 800 interface, plus FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces for maximum flexibility; 

- Turbo-powered with high-speed turbo drivers for maximum performance (Mac computer only);

- Illuminated capacity gauge lets users see at a glance how much space is available on the drive;

- Compatible with Apple’s Time Machine application  so users can back up with Apple’s Time Machine, or their favorite back up software;

- Industry-leading 5-year limited warranty;

- FireWire or USB powered so no separate power supply is needed; and,

- Formatted HFS+, Journaled for use with Mac computers can be easily reformatted for use with Windows PCs. 

www.westerndigital.com

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WD introduced its newly redesigned My Book World Edition II dual-drive network storage system in capacities of up to 4 TB. With the double protection of two Mirrored (RAID 1) drives and continuous backup software, the My Book World Edition II network storage system provides an extra-safe place for users to back up and store the data and digital media from all the computers on their network in one central location. Available now at select retailers and the WD online store, the new dual-drive systems join the recently introduced My Book World Edition and are compatible with PC and Mac computers.

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The first rental website for Scenic Backgrounds by Westcott will be available online October 31, 2008. With over 100 backgrounds to choose from, these backgrounds will appeal to everyone including the high end professional, photo enthusiast and even the parent or scrapbook mom. The rental program will allow photographers creativitywithout the expense of investing in a lifetime commitment to a background. Rentals will list at $49.99 for a 5’X6’ and $69.99 for the 6’X8’ line. Customers can save $20.00 with a coupon from their local participating dealer and the postage-paid packaging is provided to return it.

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