Western Digital announced today that they are releasing an updated version of the extremely popular My Book World Edition, increasing the maximum capacity to 4TB, and adding a built-in RAID system for additional data security.
It’s interesting to see Western Digital blurring the line between external drives and NAS devices. I’ve had a couple of the My Book products, and found them to be reliable, but I moved away from them after setting a NAS up on my home network. However, when you consider the fact that the new My Book has Gigabit ethernet in addition to the standard USB 2.0, there’s almost no reason to buy a NAS instead of this drive.
We’re going to be reviewing one of these in the near future, and our expectations are pretty high. We’ll have to see how it stacks up performance-wise against a real NAS. You should be able to find them at your favorite retailer right away, with the 4TB version going for $699.99, and the 2TB for $399.99.
Here’s the press release:
The My Book World Edition II network storage system uses RAID 1 (Mirrored1) technology to automatically and continuously maintain a second copy of user’s data. If one drive in the two-drive system ever fails, the system continues to run and the data is safe. In addition, the new My Book World Edition II network hard drive includes software that simplifies the task of setting up automatic and continuous data backup for all the PCs in the home. The My Book World Edition II storage systems ship in Mirrored mode and use half the capacity for file redundancy.
With its media server capabilities and fast transfer speeds, this high-capacity system makes it simple to build a centralized digital media library that everyone can easily share. Music, photos and videos can be streamed directly from the My Book World Edition II storage system to any PC, Mac or connected DLNA® media player (such as TVs, Microsoft® Xbox 360 and Sony® PlayStation®3 game consoles or wireless digital pictures frames) using the integrated UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) media server and iTunes® Music server software. Users can also securely access their files from anywhere in the world through the Internet using the free MioNet® remote access service included with every My Book World Edition II storage system.
“Families have more and more digital media like movies, photos and music to store, share and protect. Having two drives inside the My Book World Edition II network storage system, instantaneously and automatically duplicating data, offers consumers the peace of mind of double safe, real-time protection of their valuable content,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group. “Families can relax knowing their valuable media is backed up while enjoying the ability to stream their content to a plethora of different devices from PCs and Macs to PS3s, Xbox 360s and the latest connected TVs.”
Price and Availability
The new My Book World Edition II network storage systems are available now in 2 TB and 4 TB capacities at select retailers and WD’s online store (www.shopwd.com). MSRP for the My Book World Edition II dual-drive storage system with 4 TB is $699.99 USD and 2 TB is $399.99 USD.Features
The new My Book World Edition II network drive features:* Automatic, continuous backup for all the computers on your network;
* Dual-drive system that mirrors valuable data for extra safe data protection;
* Centralized storage and sharing for all of your family’s digital content;
* Streaming to any connected PC, Mac or DLNA certified game console or media player;
* Easy remote access to all your data from anywhere, anytime;
* Works seamlessly on networks with both Windows and Mac computers;
* Ability to centralize and stream music collection to a Mac or Windows PC using iTunes software;
* USB 2.0 port to turn any USB drive into an instant network drive or extra capacity for the My Book World Edition II;
* Cooler, quieter, eco-friendly design with drives using WD GreenPower Technology™ which run cooler, quieter and consume up to 33 percent less power2;
* User serviceable;
* Capacity gauge to see at a glance how much space is available on your drive;
* High-speed data transfer with Gigabit Ethernet; and,
* 3-year limited warranty.