Western Digital makes big changes to My Cloud OS and My Cloud Mirror

By Dave LeClair September 1, 2015

Western Digital, the company responsible for the most popular personal cloud hardware and service, is making some big changes to its My Cloud OS and My Cloud Mirror hardware that should make the service quite a bit more appealing to the masses. These updates add some key functionality that makes the personal cloud service function in a way that is far more similar to public cloud services like DropBox or OneDrive.

The major feature added to My Cloud OS is called Sync. It lets users choose specific directories on their PC and have them automatically sent to the drive that’s connected to their router, which is serving as their personal cloud. When the user makes changes to files or folders, they will automatically be uploaded to My Cloud and synced to other connected devices.

WD-My-Cloud-OS-and-My-Cloud-Mirror-2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This new feature makes My Cloud function more smoothly, as users don’t need to manually upload files they want synced. Like Dropbox and other cloud services, users can get access to their files and documents on smartphones as well on other computers.

In keeping with the theme of improved functionality, Western Digital is also adding photo syncing on mobile devices. Pictures can be uploaded to the My Cloud OS connected drive as soon as they’re taken. There’s also a new feature that lets users collect and share photos in full resolution.

Western Digital is also improving its SDK to allow developers to tap into the heart of the My Cloud devices with apps. It has already partnered with Milestone Surveillance, Plex, and Adobe, and it thinks that its new open-source standard will attract more developers than the previous version.

On the hardware side, Western Digital is also announcing its My Cloud Mirror 2, a new version of its router-connected hardware that actually features two drives for redundancy.

The update to the OS will be launched on September 21 to all existing My Cloud users. The new My Cloud Mirror 2 hardware will be available on September 30.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Dave LeClair has been writing about tech and gaming since 2007. He's covered events, hosted podcasts, created videos, and…

Computing

Best deal ever? Get 80% off PureVPN and an Uber Eats voucher

A close-up of a computer monitor displaying a generic VPN.

Everyone should sign up to a virtual private network, so if you're looking for VPN deals, here's one that you wouldn't want to miss -- two years plus three extra months of PureVPN's Max Plan at 80% off for just $4 per month, for a total of $108 for 27 months. That's $16 in savings per month for dependable online protection, and to top it off, you'll be getting an Uber Eats voucher worth up to $30. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so if you're interested, you're going to have to sign up for the subscription immediately.

Why you should sign up for PureVPN Max Plan
A VPN is a necessity in this digital age because it will protect your data from being accessed by cybercriminals. It will also help you get around any geoblocking restrictions as you can have your device appear as if it's located in another part of the world. PureVPN is one of the best VPNs for these purposes, as it uses a global network of more than 6,500 servers that are located across dozens of countries.

Computing

Razer’s most boring product is also one of its best

The Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair in an office.

Razer isn't exactly known for subtlety. This is the company that released a Bane-like RGB face mask, a headset with haptic feedback, and most recently, a mouse pad that has RGB lighting from corner to corner. The Iskur V2 chair is an exercise in subtlety, however, and a change of pace that pays off for Razer in a big way.

There's nothing special about the Iskur V2 at first glance. It's a gaming chair fit with the usual racer-style back and some green trim to let you know it's a Razer product. But there are no motors promising immersive haptic feedback, and no RGB leaving you tethered to a wall outlet (yes, Razer has done both in a chair before). The Iskur V2 is just a well-designed, comfortable chair, and that's exactly why it's so impressive.
Out of the box

Computing

Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450

Marvel's Spider-Man running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Up to a couple of years ago, OLED technology only really existed in OLED TVs and very-high-end monitors that cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Luckily, the prices have come down quite substantially, even on the best OLED monitors, especially as the market gets more saturated with options. That means that if you tend to use a monitor for the majority of your content consumption, such as gaming, then you can grab an OLED monitor for a great price and experience amazing visual fidelity and reproduction.

To that end, we've gone out and scoured all the major retailers and brands to find our favorite OLED monitor deals out there and compiled them below. That said, if you haven't quite found what you're looking for, or feel you aren't ready for an OLED monitor, be sure to check out some of these other great monitor deals.
LG UltraGear 27-inch gaming monitor -- $660, was $1,000