Black is back. Thankfully, we're now a long way from the land that taste forgot -- a time when all PC peripherals were beige. While white has a hard time finding acceptance outside of the Apple stables, black has made a huge comeback.
Yes, essentially this is the WD Passport of old -- black instead of silver -- but it has also enjoyed a capacity boost as well. The last time we looked at a Passport the maximum capacity was 80GB, but thanks to the wonders of perpendicular storage technology the drive is now able to shoehorn in twice as much data. This technology is theoretically capable of faster transfer rates, which means it takes less time to read and write your files to the disk.
The build is fairly straightforward: it's a plastic case surrounding a 160GB 2.5 inch drive. It weighs a light 108 grams and measures 13cm long, 8cm wide, and 1.5cm thick. The surface boasts a piano-gloss finish and so attracts fingerprints, though as there's no display it doesn't matter as much. There's a blue activity light and a single mini-USB port which is covered by a rubber flap. And that's it.
Unlike the previous Passport, there's no need for an external power source as it powers itself through the USB port.
On the disk is a Google installer which gives you Picasa, Desktop Search and the Toolbar. WD Sync lets you synch your PCs folders and files, Internet favourites, wallpaper (!) and mail as well. Also included in this version is the easy to use WD Sync Software, and is much welcomed as the original Passport had no backup utility.
Using a combination of benchmarking programs SiSoftware Sandra and HDTach, we determined that the device was able to read at 29.6MB/s, and then capable of a sequential write speed of 25MB/s. Compared to the informal tests carried out on the last Passport, which got a write speed of 16MB/s this is an improvement of over 50 percent.
Both speed and capacity have increased with this drive, but so has the price -- to a hefty AU$429. So if speed, portability, and the increased size is important to you then this is an OK deal. If portability isn't as important, try Western Digital's much cheaper MyBook with a 250GB capacity.
Editor's note: the original retail price of the WD Passport Portable 160 GB was AU$429, however WD recently informed us that the price has dropped to AU$199. This review is based on the original price.
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User
31/08/2008, 11:28 AM
rating
2/10
Doesn't read on any computers anymore anyone know why?
Pros: Black
Cons: failed after 6 months
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Crueldog
31/07/2008, 09:45 AM
rating
4/10
I'm a computer tech. Previous user posted:
*****
"I tried to plug in to another computer
and it won't work. Not recognised at all. Does anyone have any advice. As there is no hardware disc it is inpossible to instal"
*****
Have you tryed to plug it in a REAR Usb Port? For some reason, front ports don't work half of the time, you seem to get not enough power. Did that to me too, wouldnt recognize, sometimes, it would not even turn.
Pros: ->Fast transfer, ->No power required (Uses USB power), ->Great capacity, ->Silent, ->Sleek look.
Cons: ->After one day of purchase, cover was scratched. ->Four weeks after, it began to go crazy. ->The 6th week, it had corrupted / bad sectors. Cannot be fixed, I've tried everything. I've always removed it with the "Safely remove device" thing. ->Won't work on a few USB ports, such as front USB ports sometimes, since it requires power from the USB to run.
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DeadWDPassport
06/06/2008, 12:11 AM
rating
1/10
:(
Pros: Looks nice.
Cons: Died usb-sata controller after 6 months of use :(
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Alanna
12/05/2008, 01:59 PM
rating
6/10
I love this product and it works perfect on my computer.
Pros: Perfect for my work to save valuable information.
Cons: I tried to plug in to another computer and it won't work. Not recognised at all. Does anyone have any advice. As there is no hardware disc it is inpossible to install.
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cool
06/05/2008, 05:18 PM
rating
1/10
cool cool cool
Pros: cool cool cool
Cons: cool cool cool
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sneakers
17/03/2008, 02:03 AM
rating
10/10
fast, easy to use, very elegant, uses standard USB-to-USBMini cable. you just have to reformat it if you want an NTFS filesystem tho.. all in all, its a good buy. it is not very expensive now.. prices have dropped.
Pros: fast, standard cable, covered port, blue light and black glossy finish look good together
Cons: scratches easily (scratched it on the first day), pre-formatted as FAT32
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Floggy1965
21/02/2008, 12:20 PM
rating
10/10
Fantastic Luv it. Nice easy and stylish
Pros: Excellent. My USB Memory Stick was too slow transfer files. This is great. I even run some 3D modelling software of it between differnet clients offices with my setup.
Cons: ???? None
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norris
30/11/2007, 10:45 AM
rating
2/10
broken after 9 months and scratched after the first day
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noddy
30/11/2007, 10:42 AM
rating
3/10
Expensive as anything. but it looks good
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simont183
21/09/2007, 11:55 PM
rating
2/10
Pure Shy*e - Its works on my work PC but not at home (USB dev not recog) - how am I supposed to nick stuff from work now???
Pros: Its pretty
Cons: Its pretty useless
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