Western Digital has released a wireless drive that integrates storage capacity with a wifi network and an SD card reader. Powered by a six hour battery 20 hours standby), the My Passport Wireless is available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB versions and users can offload memory cards and then send the images via wifi. It is also equipped with USB3.

The My Passport Wireless will be available this month and priced at $129.99 USD for 500GB, $179.99 USD for 1 TB and $219.99 for 2 TB in the U.S.A.

Press release

New WD® Portable Storage Drive Wirelessly Connects to Smartphones, Tablets, Cameras and More

My Passport® Wireless External Hard Drive Expands Storage for all Devices With No Need for Wires or Internet

IRVINE, Calif. – Sept. 3, 2014 – WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and a world leader in connected storage solutions, today unveiled My Passport® Wireless, an easy to use Wi-Fi™ enabled storage drive that allows consumers to save, access and share stored content wirelessly with any smartphone, tablet, computer or other device. For the frequent business traveler to the family on a road trip or creative professional working in the field, the My Passport Wireless drive is a simple way to connect all computing and mobile devices to content without any wires or Internet connection. Additionally, when users need to transfer large amounts of data, the My Passport Wireless drive provides the option of using a high speed USB 3.0 connection.

“As we celebrate its 10th anniversary, the success of WD’s My Passport® line of portable hard drives is unprecedented,” explains Jim Welsh, executive vice president, WD Content Solutions Business and worldwide sales. “Our new My Passport Wireless drive continues the evolution, resolving a common problem for today’s mobile consumer; too many devices with limited storage and no way to offload their content and free up space on-the-go. Now, consumers will have one drive to easily store content from all their devices and enjoy that content anywhere they go.”

The My Passport Wireless drive broadcasts its own wireless network that allows up to eight devices to connect at the same time and access any content stored on the drive. Available in 500GB, 1TB or 2TB models, users now have the ability to store and access up to hundreds of hours of movies and music, as well photos and other digital files, from their smartphones and tablets that are typically limited by minimal storage capacity.

The portable wireless drive features Wireless N with MIMO technology for enhanced wireless performance so that users can access and transfer files quickly, as well as stream up to four HD videos simultaneously. The built-in rechargeable battery provides up to six hours of continuous streaming and up to 20 hours of standby power making the drive a perfect travel companion.

With the My Passport Wireless drive users have anywhere, anytime access to their favorite digital content by using WD’s award winning WD My Cloud® mobile app for iOS® or Android™ mobile devices. The WD My Cloud mobile app easily connects to a My Passport Wireless drive for simple product setup, and once setup the mobile app provides intuitive navigation, sharing and playback of the drive’s content. The WD My Cloud app also helps unify all of a users’ content under a single app and user interface, by allowing access to content on the My Passport Wireless drive, the WD My Cloud family of personal cloud storage, and on major public cloud services such as Dropbox™, OneDrive™ and Google Drive™ from just one app.

In additional to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the portable wireless storage drive is an ideal companion for cameras with its integrated SD card slot. Whether shooting large commercial photography and video production or just taking photos and videos of the family while on vacation, the My Passport Wireless drive will never let you miss a moment because your memory cards are full. The built-in SD card slot lets users copy their content from the SD card to the My Passport Wireless drive to make room for more memorable moments. Additionally, with integrated FTP, the drive connects to compatible wireless cameras so that users can automatically transfer photos from their cameras to the drive as they are taking them.

Price and Availability

The My Passport Wireless drive is currently available for advance order online at the wdstore.com and will be available at select U.S. retailers later in September. MSRP is $129.99 USD for 500GB, $179.99 USD for 1 TB and $219.99 for 2 TB. The WD My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download for free from the App Store™ and Google Play™.