Well-deserving of the TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award is the Western Digital My Passport Essential, one of many in a long-running line of durable and innovative external hard drives from the global leader in digital storage applications. Handily exceeding our expectations, this drive offers all the bells and whistles of a high-end portable hard drive at an attractive price.
The My Passport Essential delivers exceptional performance that rivals that of pricier portable hard drives. The drive is equipped with a USB 3.0 interface, the latest modification in universal serial bus (USB) technology. High-speed USB is the most popular connection standard between a host controller (typically a computer) and external devices. The USB 3.0 interface offers distinct advantages over the preceding 2.0 interface, namely data transfer speeds up to 10 times faster. As such, the My Passport Essential delivers speedy transfer rates that outperform many comparable drives with the USB 2.0 interface. And since USB 3.0 is backwards compatible, the drive will work on computers with a 2.0 interface.
Equally as impressive is the portable hard drive's incredible ratio of portability to storage capacity with 500GB densely packed into a small, lightweight package. While the My Passport Essential drive is available in different storage capacities ranging from 250GB to 640GB, the 500GB capacity drive is the only one with a USB 3.0 interface; the others only have the 2.0 interface.
The My Passport Essential is aptly named considering the drive itself is roughly the same size as an actual passport. Weighing approximately 5 ounces and measuring mere inches in depth and width, the My Passport Essential is the smallest portable hard drive on our lineup and is quite literally pocket-sized. Further enhancing the drive's overall portability is the fact that it is bus-powered, meaning the drive uses a single cable for both data transfer and power supply – a convenient feature found on most portable hard drives. The drive also has a single, blue LED that illuminates whenever activity is occurring within the drive and four small rubber feet that enable the drive to sit securely on angled surfaces, a minor but useful and convenient design feature.
In a commendable effort to lessen its carbon footprint, Western Digital opted to use recycled materials for the portable hard drive's casing. While plastic may seem less than solid, the device is surprisingly durable and built to withstand some (minor) abuse. Our only complaint with the drive's design is the high-gloss plastic does seem to attract fingerprints and smudges; however, a cosmetic concern so insignificant isn't likely to be much of an issue for most potential buyers.
Creative professionals and the style-conscious alike will be happy to find that the My Passport Essential is not only a pragmatic tool but can be a style statement as well. The portable hard drive is available in a vast array of colors and patterns suited for every personal taste, though we personally like the understated elegance and universal appeal of the glossy black.
With a focus on compact design and high performance, additional features can often seem like an afterthought on many portable hard drives – not so with the My Passport Essential. The drive's various features prove to be highly useful, versatile and tailored for simplicity. As with most of Western Digital's external drives, the My Passport Essential model comes pre-loaded with the company's proprietary and feature-rich WD SmartWare software. When plugged into a computer, the drive is presented as two separate devices: a standard external drive with 465GB of storage space and a 450MB drive containing the factory-loaded software. This smart dual configuration boosts plug-and-play operability of the drive and helps prevents users from inadvertently erasing or losing the accompanying software.
WD SmartWare is essentially three applications bundled into one convenient package, with an easy-to-use and intuitive visual interface. The bundle contains the essential drive software that allows you to install the device and manage various drive settings. Additionally, there is data backup and file retrieval software. Data backup can certainly be a chore but we loved how easy and convenient the SmartWare software makes backing up data. Users simply select the files (e.g., music, photos, word documents, etc.) they want to back up from their PC to the portable hard drive. Once a full backup is created, users don't have to worry about scheduling additional backups because the software will automatically perform incremental backups every time the drive is connected. This means the software will only back up files that are new or have been modified since the last time it was connected. In addition, the software provides a file retrieval function, which can restore files and entire folders that have been accidently deleted from the drive. It also allows users to retrieve older or archived file versions. For more tech-savvy users, the software's advanced settings can be used to set specific directories and file extensions to sync each time the drive is plugged in.
The My Passport Essential drive also shines when it comes to security features, which are imperative on portable hard drives that contain sensitive or personal information. We like that the drive boasts password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption to limit unauthorized access to the drive. This type of encryption protects data using a key that contains 256 bits, which makes it highly difficult to decrypt the data without proper authorization.
Perhaps our one and only gripe with the My Passport Essential portable hard drive is its software utilities are compatible with Windows only. The drive itself, however, can be used to copy and store data from both Windows and Mac computers.
Suited for convenient plug-and-play operation and boasting an intuitive user interface, the My Passport Essential portable hard drive and its included software are extremely easy to use. But for those who have any technical issues or manufacturing defects, Western Digital offers an array of subsidiary help and support options. For starters, the drive comes with a two-year warranty. While it's definitely superior to a one-year warranty, we were a bit disappointed with the warranty since many external hard drive manufacturers offer warranties spanning three years or more. For a warranty to be valid, users must register their hard drive through the product registration section on the Western Digital website. The warranty span begins on the date of purchase, regardless of when you register your hard drive.
The warranty may have failed to live up to our expectations, but Western Digital's customer service did not. The manufacturer's website hosts an abundance of beneficial resources such as a knowledgebase and frequently asked questions specific to each of its products, including the My Passport Essential. There are also user forums (called discussions) and the company provides direct customer support via email and telephone.
The Western Digital My Passport Essential is a top-notch portable hard drive well-suited for all computer users. It offers next-generation speed and universal compatibility through a backwards-compatible USB 3.0 interface. Furthermore, the portable hard drive seamlessly blends into any environment, and its sleek, minimalist lines make it an attractive yet highly pragmatic device for anyone working on the go.
