LAKE FOREST, Calif. (Map) - LAKE FOREST, Calif., March. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Expanding on its popular portable storage offerings, WD(R) (NYSE: WDC) today introduced its new My Passport(TM) Elite(TM) Portable USB Drives which are designed to make it easy to securely carry thousands of songs, videos or photos in style. Available now at select retailers and at WD's online store (http://www.shopwd.com), the new fully-featured My Passport Elite Portable USB Drives include a luxurious, soft-touch finish that makes these drives easy to grip, comfortable to hold, and fashionable to carry.

Weighing in at less than 5 ounces and available in capacities of 320 and 250 GB, the new My Passport Elite drives are small enough to fit in a pocket for consumers on-the-go. Adding to the small footprint, these drives are USB-bus powered, which eliminates the need for an external power adapter (1).

"Your digital content is as personal today as photos in shoeboxes and racks of CDs were yesterday," said Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. "The device that securely holds your content should be just as personal. Having listened to our customers, we are expanding the options available on our WD Passport family of personal storage devices with more features, content management functions and fashionable design."

Unique features of the new My Passport Elite Portable USB Drives include: -- Capacity gauge that enables users to know at-a-glance how much space is available; -- Powerful automatic backup software lets users designate files and folders for automatic and continuous backup; -- Synchronization software that lets users sync their changes and protect their information with 128-bit encryption; -- Retrieve forgotten files from any MioNet(R)-enabled PC (compatible with Windows(R) only) and copy them to My Passport Elite with MioNet installed allowing users to retrieve forgotten files from the road using the unique MioNet Key(TM) software; -- Available in four elegant, soft-touch colors: bronze, titanium, westminster blue and cherry red; -- Industry-leading 5-year limited warranty; and, -- Plug-and-play capability with gaming consoles(2) to make it easy to play music and view photos and video files on a TV.

WD's My Passport Elite USB Drives are available now at select retail stores and from WD's online store (http://www.shopwd.com). MSRP for the My Passport Elite USB Drive with 250 GB capacity is $169.99 USD and the My Passport Elite 320 GB is $199.99 USD.

Product information and photos of My Passport Elite Portable Drives are available on the company's Web site at http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=408.

About WD

WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company produces reliable, high-performance hard drives that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. WD applies its storage expertise to consumer products for external, portable and shared storage applications.

WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (http://www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Western Digital, WD, the WD logo and WD Passport are registered trademarks in the U.S. and other countries; My Passport Elite, MioNet and MioNet Key are trademarks of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. All other brand and product names that may be mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. One gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. One terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

(1) An optional cable is available for the few computers that limit bus power. (2) Microsoft(R) Xbox 360 and Sony(R) PS3 gaming consoles EDITOR'S NOTES: Western Digital product photos: http://www.westerndigital.com/en/company/branding/digitalphotos.asp# Product Spec Sheets: http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=408

Editorial review samples of WD Passport may be requested via WD's Web site: http://www.westerndigital.com/en/company/pr/eval_request.asp

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080325/LATU504

Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000711/WDCLOGO