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WD Touts Rugged ArmorATD, My Passport Go

NEW YORK – Western Digital (WD) used Pepcom’s product showcase for media June 20 to showcase its latest products, with standouts including two of its most rugged current offerings: The My Passport Go solid-state drive (SSD) and G-Technology-branded ArmorATD portable hard drive.

ArmorATD drives just started shipping to retailers including Amazon at prices ranging from $89.99 for a 1-TB SKU, $119.99 for a 2-TB version and $169.99 for a 4-TB drive, according to Victor Parker II, WD consumer/lifestyle media manager.

Underscoring just how tough the new ArmorATD drives are and how safe they’ll keep a user’s photos and other stored data, he told the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) the drives offer “triple layer shock protection.” They’re also dust and water resistant, he noted, adding “feedback from the media has been quite good.”

The drives feature internal shock mounts, a solid aluminum enclosure and protective rubber bumper. They provide shock resistance up to 1.2 meters on a carpeted concrete floor for the 1- and 2-TB capacities and up to 1 meter for the 4-TB drive, according to the company’s Web site.

The ArmorATD drives are targeted at enthusiast and professional photographers and videographers looking to protect their photo, video and audio files, the company says.

Meanwhile, My Passport Go, which joined WD’s My Passport line early this year after being announced at CES in Las Vegas in January, have been “doing well” at retail so far, Parker told MESA. The drives transport at speeds up to 2.5 times faster than average hard disk drives (HDDs), he said, adding they’re also “super lightweight.”

My Passport Go offers up to 1 TB of portable SSD storage in a durable form factor that includes an integrated cable and rubber bumper, WD said while announcing them Jan. 7.

The combination of My Passport Go’s shock-absorbing rubber bumper and lack of moving parts enable the drives to be drop-resistant up to 2 meters, according to the company’s Web site. They’re compatible with Mac and Windows computers, as well as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X video game consoles, WD says. The drives come in blue and yellow options costing $85.99 for 500-GB SKUs and $179.99 for 1-TB versions. (https://www.wd.com/products/portable-storage/my-passport-go.html?utm_medium=pr1&utm_source=biswr&utm_campaign=ces2019&utm_content=na&utm_term=mpp-go)

WD also spotlighted its SanDisk-branded Extreme UHS-I microSDXC at the Pepcom event. In announcing it at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, WD said the 1-TB SanDisk Extreme UHS- I microSDXC card was “the world’s fastest 1TB UHS-I microSD flash memory card.”

The memory card features “higher speed and capacity for capturing and moving massive amounts of high-quality photos and videos on smartphones, drones and action cameras,” WD said in its announcement, adding its high “levels of capacity and speed give consumers the ability to create all the content they want without worrying about space limitations or long transfer times.” The new card enables consumers to transfer files in almost half the time as standard UHS-I microSD cards currently on the market, according to WD.

The 1-TB card, which reaches speeds up to 160 MB a second, is shipping now at $449.99, Parker said. A 512-GB version costs $199.99.

The company expects its strong 2019 product portfolio will help it surmount market challenges that include continued flash pricing deterioration and tense U.S.-China trade issues, WD CEO Steve Milligan recently told the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Technology Conference in San Francisco.

The company entered this year with “the strongest product portfolio ever in the history of the company” and it plans to “continue to build on that as we move through the balance of 2019,” he said.