- Up to 60 hours of HD video storage
- USB 2.0 Interface
- Up to 480 Mbps Data Transfer Rate
- 2.5" Form Factor
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Product Description
Capacity: 500 GB | Color: Midnight Black
Carry your music, video, and photos in style with Western Digital My Passport Essential Portable Hard Drive. Big capacity in a small design. These elegant portable drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power adapter as they are powered directly through the USB cable. The My Passport also works with either Windows and Mac. Synchronize files between home and office and encrypt everything on the drive for added security. The 500GB storage capacity is enough to hold 2 1/2 DAYS of HD Video or over 125,000 digital photos and the included Google Software allows you to search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches with included Google software. (Windows only) .
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
191 of 197 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Midnight Black| Size Name:250 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Western Digital Passport reduced my 388 CD rack to a pocket-sized miracle. Likewise, all the photos, lesson plans, and Power-Point presentations that were cluttering my computer are now on my Passport.
Here's the low-down. I was a bit worried that I might have difficultly setting-up this little guy. My fears were alleviated in about 15 seconds. About a month ago, I downgraded from Vista to XP and had NO PROBLEMS with the installation of this product ... whatsoever (seems some people who run Vista have been having some trouble). It could not have been easier. (Thank you Western Digital!)
Now, the pre-installed software is REALLLLLY bad (that part is true). Western Digital should rethink this approach since nearly everyone removes it (and it deters some people from even purchasing their products). Minus one-star for being SERIOUSLY annoying!!
As mentioned by other reviewers, the product is whisper-quiet. And, while some folks found that they need an USB Power Adapter Y Cable, I did not. I have a two-year old Alien Area 51 m5550 and experienced no problems with power (regarding this product). I would advise that you purchase the Passport without the substitute cable and give it a try before you invest the extra cash.
And yes, the product is glossy, so it shows fingerprints and can scratch easily. Amazon currently recommends the CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case (Black) but the case is much too large and the Passport remains too loosely confined. Instead, I bought the Caselogic Neoprene LHDC-1 Portable Hard Drive Case (Dark Gray). (It is soft and protects the product's appearance while in transit). If anyone finds a better fit, please feel free to comment on this post.
Bottomline: Regardless of the unwanted pre-installed software, this product exceeded my expectations. It is quiet, petite, and pretty amazing! It handled a tremendous volume of work fairly quickly (I was prepared for some lag, of course) and makes my life much tidier. Highly recommended!!
Here's the low-down. I was a bit worried that I might have difficultly setting-up this little guy. My fears were alleviated in about 15 seconds. About a month ago, I downgraded from Vista to XP and had NO PROBLEMS with the installation of this product ... whatsoever (seems some people who run Vista have been having some trouble). It could not have been easier. (Thank you Western Digital!)
Now, the pre-installed software is REALLLLLY bad (that part is true). Western Digital should rethink this approach since nearly everyone removes it (and it deters some people from even purchasing their products). Minus one-star for being SERIOUSLY annoying!!
As mentioned by other reviewers, the product is whisper-quiet. And, while some folks found that they need an USB Power Adapter Y Cable, I did not. I have a two-year old Alien Area 51 m5550 and experienced no problems with power (regarding this product). I would advise that you purchase the Passport without the substitute cable and give it a try before you invest the extra cash.
And yes, the product is glossy, so it shows fingerprints and can scratch easily. Amazon currently recommends the CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case (Black) but the case is much too large and the Passport remains too loosely confined. Instead, I bought the Caselogic Neoprene LHDC-1 Portable Hard Drive Case (Dark Gray). (It is soft and protects the product's appearance while in transit). If anyone finds a better fit, please feel free to comment on this post.
Bottomline: Regardless of the unwanted pre-installed software, this product exceeded my expectations. It is quiet, petite, and pretty amazing! It handled a tremendous volume of work fairly quickly (I was prepared for some lag, of course) and makes my life much tidier. Highly recommended!!
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Midnight Black|Size Name:250 GB
Works with my PCs and Macbook. (Make sure you are using the correct USB plug on your Mac laptop. Not all of the USB outlets in Mac laptops have sufficient power to drive an external drive. Read the manual to find which is which).
No review for the included software. Since most of my experience with softwares that comes with products like camera, external drives are rarely satisfactory, software was not installed in the first place.
Pros:
- Lowest price I found for a 2.5" external drive
- No need for a power brick. It is powered by the USB 2.
- So quiet, Just like an Ipod.
- Small enough to fit in your pocket. 0.59" (H) x 5" (L) x 3" (W)
- Comes with the USB cable
Cons:
- Shiny Black finish is easy to scratch
- No case included
No review for the included software. Since most of my experience with softwares that comes with products like camera, external drives are rarely satisfactory, software was not installed in the first place.
Pros:
- Lowest price I found for a 2.5" external drive
- No need for a power brick. It is powered by the USB 2.
- So quiet, Just like an Ipod.
- Small enough to fit in your pocket. 0.59" (H) x 5" (L) x 3" (W)
- Comes with the USB cable
Cons:
- Shiny Black finish is easy to scratch
- No case included
117 of 133 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Midnight Black|Size Name:250 GB
I purchased 2 of these units for backup of data. 0ne failed in 13 months and the other failed in 16 months all data was lost. They want $100 to evaluate the drive and $500 plus to recover the data if in fact it is recoverable.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great hard drive!
I've had this hard drive for over 3 years now and its still working great! I use it as the backup disk for my computer, and its always been fast enough for that. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sam G
excellent
Personally one of the best buying experiences ever, this is an amazing product, exactly what I needed. Would definitely buy again.
Published 3 months ago by Patrick R. Ouellette
western digital passport 250gb ext hrd dr.
This is a great product and I would recomend it to anyone who needs a external HD.. I also was pleased with the price and the quick delivery from the source I purchased it from.. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Larry M Cost
ok
Product in good condition, is seen to be of good quality and we are very happy with it.
The transaction was successful, and arrived in good time.
The transaction was successful, and arrived in good time.
Published 4 months ago by roldan
BAD back up option
THis is already the second unit which just died on me, without any previous signs or abuse. I used the unit to back up my laptop and it just quite on me. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Mayer
Praying this review doesn't jinx my HD.
I've had this hard drive for almost two years, and it has always worked perfectly. When I had my mac it always worked well. Read more
Published 6 months ago by chris
Western Digital Reliable? Think again
I have been a technology professional for over 17 years, with the majority of my career focused on software; however, it is incumbent upon any software professional to be hardware... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kevin Burch
Great product
I have had My Passport almost 2 years now and it is just what I wanted. I do a backup of my home computer and a backup of my work computer then carry the Passport in my purse. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Becky
Blue? New? Really?
NOT blue. Auqua. New? I opened completely without tearing or cutting anything. Used and not blue as advertised. I loved the navy blue in the pictures. Read more
Published 7 months ago by moneygodkillsthesoul
Funciona bien....
El disco duro funciona bien. Es pequeño y económico.
Tiene buena relación precio/capacidad de almacenamiento.
Funciona bien, hace poco ruido. Read more
Tiene buena relación precio/capacidad de almacenamiento.
Funciona bien, hace poco ruido. Read more
Published 7 months ago by elgaja
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Capacity: 500 GB | Color: Midnight Black
