February 8, 2010

WD Caviar Black and WD RE4 2TB
www.wdc.com

Western Digital announced that it is now shipping desktop 7200 RPM 2TB hard drives and is qualifying with OEMs enterprise-class hard drives based on WD’s 500 gigabytes-per-platter technology. The popular family of WD Caviar Black drives, now led by the new 2TB capacity, is perfect for gaming, high-performance desktop systems and workstations; while the WD RE4 2TB is suited for servers, network attached storage and storage networks.

High-performance hard drives by an industry leader in performance, WD Caviar Black and WD RE4 2TB drives combine 7200 RPM spin speed, 64MB cache, dual stage actuator technology, SATA 3 gigabits per second (Gb/s) interface, and an integrated dual processor to deliver ultimate performance in a maximum-capacity drive.

“WD Caviar Black 2TB hard drives maximize the features and functionality of power computing applications such as gaming, photo editing, user generated multimedia and video,” said Jim Morris, senior vice president and general manager of WD’s client storage systems. “With the selection of WD Caviar Black hard drives, WD desktop customers receive the best possible mix of capacity, performance and reliability that is required for intense desktop computing.”

“Specifically designed for enterprise-class applications, WD’s RE4 2TB drives incorporate the best combination of features, optimum performance, and superior reliability that customers have come to expect from WD,” said Tom McDorman, vice president and general manager of enterprise storage solutions for WD. “Our enterprise products are directly aimed at customers who require additional features and extensive testing that are necessary for high-end enterprise environments.”

WD Caviar Black 2 TB and WD RE4 2TB hard drives feature the following:

Dual processor- Twice the processing power to maximize performance.

Dual actuator technology- A head positioning system with two actuators that improves positional accuracy over the data track(s). The primary actuator provides coarse displacement using conventional electromagnetic actuator principles. The secondary actuator uses piezoelectric motion to fine tune the head positioning to a higher degree of accuracy.

IntelliSeek- Calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise, and vibration.

StableTrac- The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking, during read and write operations.

NoTouch ramp load technology- The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit.

Additional Features for WD RE4 2TB Enterprise Hard Drives
WD RE4 drives feature 1.2 million hours MTBF, Active Power Save, enhanced RAFF technology, multi-axis shock sensor, native command queuing (NCQ), pressure sensors, third generation dynamic fly height, time limited error recovery (TLER), and an extensive and enhanced testing process to ensure long-term reliability for demanding enterprise applications.

Price and Availability
The WD Caviar Black 2TB (model WD2001FASS) hard drives and WD RE4 2TB (model WD2003FYYS) hard drives are distributed by Axis Global Technologies and ATP Peripherals (Phils) and are available through select resellers. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD Caviar Black 2TB drive are P 15,650 for WD2001FASS model and P20,800 for WD2003FYYS. Both drives are covered by a five-year limited warranty.

By Luis Anthony G. Oliveros
September 23, 2009

Western Digital, one of the biggest players in the data storage market, has unveiled the freshest redesigns to their popular line of external storage solutions, My Book and My Passport. These plug-and-play models have also been equipped with the new WD SmartWare software hardware encryption as a double layered security for your digital files.

My Book Essential / My Book for Mac
Now in a sleeker 48x165x135mm body, the My Book Essential and My Book Essential for Mac are offered in storage capacities ranging from 500GB to a very spacious 2TB.

These external drives connect via a USB 2.0 port and carries an illuminated capacity gauge that lets you know just how much space is available. They also utilize WD GreenPower Technology which lowers internal drive power consumption by up to 30% and a sleep mode during idle times.

“Keeping an extra copy of your digital life used to be a painstaking, manual task undertaken only by the most expert and diligent of users. WD’s new My Book Essential and My Book for Mac external hard drives, powered by WD SmartWare, have finally made it easy enough so that anyone can do it,” said Dale Pistili, VP of Marketing for WD’s branded products group. “WD’s new drives combine massive storage capacity, visual backup and hardware encryption, so consumers can now actually see their digital life safe in one place.”

While the My Book Essential is compatible with various Windows operating systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, the My Book Mac runs Mac OS X Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard, and is even compatible with Apple TimeMachine.

My Passport Essential / My Passport for Mac
The My Passport Essential and My Passport for Mac external hard drives are more than 20% smaller than their previous generation models. At 15x83x110mm, they tip the scale at a mere 0.20kg for better storage and mobility. These are offered in storage capacities from 320GB to 1TB and come in different colors, including blue, red and silver in addition to the standard black and white.

“The smaller and sleeker design of WD’s redesigned My Passport drives, combined with the intuitive visual backup experience of WD SmartWare software, makes this drive a smart and secure, travel-friendly storage choice,” Pistilli said. “These ultra-portable drives are a stylish and spacious storage solution for consumers to confiddentaly backup, store and carry their entire digital lives.”

The WD My Passport Essential hard drives are formatted for machines running Windows operating systems  while the WD Passport for Mac are designed for Mac computers and are even compatible with Apple TimeMachine.


WD SmartWare
Along with these newly revitalized storage solutions is the WD SmartWare, Western Digital’s own beefy security software. It comes in a straightforward user interface that displays the contents of the plugged hard drive and even displays them in categories (e.g. movies, videos, audio, etc.).

The WD SmartWare presents a security feature that combines the ubiquitous user-selected password protection with military-grade 256-bit hardware encryption. This is a data protection feature usually present only among expensive data storage system.

In addition, it allows you to make automatic, continuous data backup (with a progress bar to easily track backup as it completes), retrieve data to its original location folder whether it may be lost data or an  overwritten file. Its settings are flexible enough to allow you to customize drive security, run diagnotics and  manage power settings, among others.

September 22, 2009

WD TV Mini
P4,699
www.wdc.com

WD has introduced a new version of its popular WD TV media player. The new WD TV Mini Media Player now enables playback of RealNetworks‘ RealVideo content and provides a more affordable way for consumers to play their stored digital content in up to 1080i HD resolution directly on their HD television.

The WD TV Mini Media Player connects to a user’s TV or home theater and plays digital movies, music and photos stored on USB drives such as the WD My Passport portable drive. As with other WD TV models, the WD TV Mini Media Player supports playback of digital media on most USB mass storage devices such as digital camcorders and digital cameras. The new compact design is small and portable enough that users can easily take it with them when they travel and play their digital media anywhere on any TV in up to 1080i HD resolution.

According to research firm Parks Associates, the average consumer household currently has approximately 298 GB of digital media, which will reach approximately 898 GB of digital media by 2012.

These large personal digital libraries are all but trapped on users’ computers. In order to play their content on their TV, consumers have struggled with clumsy solutions such as copying onto multiple CDs and DVDs or connecting their PCs to their TVs via wires or complicated home networking solutions. The new WD TV Mini Media Player perfectly suits the needs of those with a large media collection that are looking for an easy and affordable solution to watch their digital media on their TV.

“The popularity of the RealVideo format and its compatibility with the WD TV Mini Media Player makes it an excellent solution for consumers who wish to enjoy their RealVideo content on their TVs,” said Scott Nelson, director of business development for RealNetworks.

“For those who desire an easy, affordable and portable solution to enjoy their digital media on their TV and who have content in RealVideo format, the new WD TV Mini Media Player fits the bill,” said Dale Pistilli, VP of marketing for WD’s Branded Products Group. “The new WD TV Mini Media Player unlocks the content from their PCs and storage devices and makes it simple for people to enjoy their media on their home theater system, without the need to spend time configuring a complicated device or transcoding files to make them compatible.”

Features of the WD TV Mini Media Player include:

• Play video, music and photos on your TV in up to 1080i HD resolution;
• Supports widest variety of file formats including RealMedia Variable Bitrate (RMVB);
• Rich HD 1080i advanced navigation and user interface;
• DVD-like navigation with chapter support, trick modes and subtitles;
• Expandable: buy more storage, delete fewer movies;
• Photo slideshow with unique transitions and music on your HD TV;
• Thumbnail support including photo thumbnails and music album art;
• Ability to preview your video during navigation (480 and 720 mode only);
• Video, music and photo auto-play for users digital signage solution;
• Subtitle support including multi-language subtitle support for video playback;
• Picture Transfer Protocol to view or backup content from your digital image device;
• Compatible with USB Camcorders and USB mass storage devices;
• Component and composite video output;
• Digital optical audio output via SPDIF;
• Ultra-compact design making it perfectly portable for travel; and,
• one-year limited warranty

Western Digital (WD), one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, today officially launched a new product branding system in Philippines. Named BGB for Blue, Green and Black, the company has refined its 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch hard drive product names to distinct usage categories for desktop and notebook applications, symbolized with colors. The new naming system aims to simplify the hard drive buying processes for Philippine users in choosing the WD hard drives that are in line with their work styles: “always on the move”, “environmentally conscious” or “go getter” users.

“Having been serving Philippine market for many years now, WD has been among the most preferred hard drive brand for both MNC and local PC manufacturers in Philippines,” said Tod Yagi, Western Digital senior manager, WW Channel Marketing, Component Business Units. “With the new product branding system, Philippine customers can have a much better understanding of WD product classification, and we are also making it very simple for every storage buyer to quickly find the right drive for them.”
 

WD’s BGB campaign provides customers the “Power of Choice”. 

 WD Caviar Blue

WD Caviar Blue hard drives are available with either SATA or EIDE interface in a variety of cache sizes with a multitude of available features to deliver rock solid performance and ultra-cool and quiet operation. Pick the drive that suits your needs with the confidence in knowing that all WD Caviar Blue drives are built to the highest standards of quality and reliability. With capacities ranging from 80GB to 750GB, these drives are the perfect solution for family and business computing.
 

WD Scorpio Blue

WD Scorpio Blue 5400RPM 2.5-inch SATA and EIDE hard drives from Western Digital deliver fast and ultra-quiet performance hand-in-hand with low power consumption. These hard drives are designed with ruggedness, reliability, and data-protection features that actively watch over valuable data. Available in capacities from 80GB to 500GB, these drives feature a 3Gb/s SATA interface and 8MB cache. WD Scorpio Blue hard drives are designed for portable digital devices of all kinds, including notebook computers, external storage, and digital media players.
 

WD Caviar Green

Available in capacities from 500GB to 2TB, WD Caviar Green SATA hard drives reduce power consumption by up to 40% and offer best-in-class acoustics and operating temperature. WD Caviar Green drives make it possible for energy-conscious customers to build systems with higher capacities and the right balance of system performance, ensured reliability, and energy conservation. They are ideal for PCs, external storage and other devices that require lower power consumption and cool, quiet operation.
 

WD Caviar Black

WD Caviar Black high-performance 3.5-inch SATA drives combine 7200RPM speed, 32MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s interface, and an integrated dual processor for fast performance in demanding systems. Rock solid mechanical architecture and enhanced reliability features help protect the drive and the data stored on it. Available in capacities from 500GB to 1TB, and backed by a five-year limited warranty, these drives are ideal for power computing applications such as multimedia, video and photo editing, and maxed out gaming computers.
  

WD Scorpio Black 

WD Scorpio Black 7200RPM SATA 2.5-inch hard drives from Western Digital combine a lightning-fast 7200RPM spin speed with a SATA 3Gb/s interface and 16MB cache to deliver desktop-class performance. With 5400RPM-equivalent power consumption there is no compromise in battery life. In addition, these hard drives are designed with ruggedness, reliability, and data-protection features that actively watch over valuable data. Available in capacities up to 320GB, these hard drives are perfect for laptop users who require maximum capacity and lightning-fast performance.

To commemorate the launch of the new product branding, WD introduced industry’s first 2TB hard drive – the WD Caviar Green 2TB drive.  This new 3.5-inch platform is based on WD’s industry-leading 500GB/platter technology (with 400Gb/in2 areal density) with 32MB cache, producing drives with capacities of up to 2TB, which is the largest capacity in the market.  WD Caviar Green hard drives reduce power consumption by up to 40% and offer best-in-class acoustics and operating temperature.  Based on WD’s exclusive GreenPower Technology, these drives are designed to deliver power savings as the primary attribute. 

“Saving power without sacrificing storage capacity is what consumers want, and what many businesses are requiring today.  With the launch of the new WD Caviar Green 2TB hard drive, customers receive the additional capacity needed to operate today’s highly advanced programs and high-resolution digital files while using less power than typical drives with similar performance and capacities,” Tod further averred.

A number of advanced technologies enable the speed, capacity and performance of WD’s Caviar Green 1.5TB and 2TB hard drives. Those include: StableTrac, which secures the motor shaft at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations; IntelliPower, which fine-tunes the balance of spin speed, transfer rate and caching algorithms designed to deliver both significant power savings and solid performance; IntelliSeek, which calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise, and vibration; and NoTouch ramp load technology, which is designed to ensure the recording head never touches the disk media resulting in significantly less wear to the recording head and media, as well as better drive protection while in transit.
The WD Caviar Green 2TB is available at select resellers and distributors. MSRP for the WD Caviar Green 2TB hard drives (model WD20EADS) is P14,495.  More information about WD Caviar Green desktop drives may be found on the company’s Web site.