WD Revs My Book World Edition Network Drive

Western Digital as launched a redesigned version of its My Book World Edition network hard drive, designed to safeguard data and stream media.

Western Digital has introduced a redesigned version of its My Book World Edition network storage drive, with the idea that the network-attached device can keep data, files, and documents safely backed up for a variety of computers in a home, plus act as a streaming media service for iTunes and DLNA-compliant systems like the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. The new drives sport a white casing and are currently available in a 1 TB version; a 2 TB version should be available later this month.

“Finding a simple way to stay backed up can be a daunting task for consumers, especially when there are multiple PCs to protect,” said WD’s senior VP Jim Welsh, in a statement. “With a My Book World Edition drive, it just takes a few simple steps for a family to automatically back up all the computers in their home and keep the backup continuously up to date.”

The WD My Book World Edition drive is designed to pop onto a home router via gigabit Ethernet; after a few clicks of a Web-based interface, the system can back up PCs and Macs on the network, with new and changed files continuously backed up to the drive.

In addition to acting as a media vault for a home network, users can access their stored files anywhere in the world they have Internet access using a Web-based remote access service. The drives feature a USB utility port to expand storage capacity by connecting additional USB hard drives or storage devices, and Western Digital claims the drives run quieter than their predecessors and consume up to a third less power than comparable systems.

The 1 TB version is available now for a suggested price of $229.99; the 2 TB version should be available later this month at a suggested price of $449.99.