WD has introduced its "smaller, smarter and more secure" My Passport
Essential and My Passport for Mac ultra-portable external hard drives
featuring WD's new WD SmartWare software and equipped with
hardware-based encryption. The new My Passport drives are more than
20 percent smaller than the previous generation My Passport.

The new portable drives with WD SmartWare software visually present
consumers' data in a control center. The new My Passport Essential
and My Passport for Mac drives are offered in capacities ranging from
320GB to 1TB and come in a range of colors including Pacific Blue,
Real Red, Cool Silver and Midnight Black.

When the My Passport Essential drive is plugged in for the first
time, the first backup process launches automatically. The real-time
visual interface of WD SmartWare software gives users a view of their
backup as it happens. After the first backup, users' files are backed
up automatically every time they change or add a file.

SmartWare works with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher. My Passport Essential
and My Passport for Mac drives also feature user-selected password
protection combined with military-grade 256-bit hardware encryption,
which scrambles files before they're stored.

The new My Passport Essential drives are offered in capacities of 320
GB, 500GB and 640GB; My Passport Essential SE drives are offered in
capacities of 750GB and 1TB. My Passport for Mac drives are available
with 320GB and 500 GB. My Passport Essential and My Passport for Mac
drives are available now at select retailers and online at
http://www.shopwd.com. Prices range from US$109.99 to $249.99,
depending on the model.