Editors' Rating
| Service & support |  |
6.0 |
| Setup & ease of use |  |
8.0 |
| Features and security |  |
7.0 |
| Performance | |
7.0 |
Published: 18 Sep 2006
The latest version of the Western Digital Passport Portable External Hard Drive lives up to its name: it's about the same size as a passport. We were surprised at its light weight, too, given its solid design, but we expect as much from a portable drive.
Setting up the Passport was simplicity itself. The drive comes with a single standard mini-USB cable for both data and power, as the drive is bus-powered -- a nice touch for a portable drive. All we had to do is plug in the drive to our PC, and we were up and running.
Western Digital preloads some software on the drive, including Google's desktop software, WD Sync synchronisation-and-encryption software, and an electronic version of the included quick-start guide. Unfortunately, the sync-and-encrypt software works with only Windows 2000 and XP operating systems, so Mac users will have to find and install their own software. The drive also comes with a zipped hard case that's just roomy enough for the drive and the cable -- convenient for mobile users.
Various sizes are available: 60GB, 80GB, 100GB and 120GB, costing from around £57 to £80 at online sites. We tested the 120GB unit, which has a cache of 2MB; it measures 14.7cm by 9.1cm by 2.2cm and weighs about 270g.
The drive includes WD's own synchronisation-and-encryption software, and has a one-year warranty, with free phone support for 30 days from the first call, and chargeable per incident after that. There is a knowledge base and software downloads on WD's Web site, and an email support form.
In our tests, the Passport's speed didn't disappoint us. It took about 20 minutes to write a 10GB test folder to its disks, which is comparable to other portable hard drives. The reading test yielded even better results: the drive needed only 8.7 minutes to copy the 10GB folder back to our test machine. This is about as good as it gets for a USB 2.0 external hard drive.
Overall, the Western Digital Passport is a great little drive to carry with you. It's small enough to fit anywhere in your luggage, yet roomy enough to hold all of your documents plus maybe even all of your music collection. And at £80 for the 120GB unit, it won't break the bank, either.
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