WD has introduced its new My Cloud family of personal cloud solutions, a complete solution for consumers and enthusiasts to organize, centralize, and secure all their data from all of their computers and mobile devices. This is achieved by simply connecting a My Cloud personal cloud drive to the Internet, which then gives their device the access they can get from the public cloud but without having to pay monthly fees or giving up control over their personal data. My Cloud is currently available in 2TB and 3TB capacities; the 4TB model will be released shortly after. In addition, customers can attach a compatible USB 3.0 hard drive directly to the USB expansion port on the My Cloud drive to further expand their storage capacity without restriction.
WD has introduced its new My Cloud family of personal cloud solutions, a complete solution for consumers and enthusiasts to organize, centralize, and secure all their data from all of their computers and mobile devices. This is achieved by simply connecting a My Cloud personal cloud drive to the Internet, which then gives their device the access they can get from the public cloud but without having to pay monthly fees or giving up control over their personal data. My Cloud is currently available in 2TB and 3TB capacities; the 4TB model will be released shortly after. In addition, customers can attach a compatible USB 3.0 hard drive directly to the USB expansion port on the My Cloud drive to further expand their storage capacity without restriction.
WD customers will be able get their personal cloud up and running within minutes using the rich web-based user interface. WD’s software also features auto-detection for the drive, making it a quick and easy setup for novice users. Once everything is up and running, users can easily connect their computers and mobile devices with WD’s free desktop and mobile apps, and with direct file uploads from mobile devices, important files and videos can be safely moved to My Cloud, freeing up valuable space on users’ tablets and smartphones. The new WD My Cloud mobile app for Android and iOS allows users to view photos, stream video, and access their files from anywhere on their smartphones or tablets. The mobile app also makes file sharing and collaborating simple and secure by allowing users to easily email files, share files as a link, and print and open files with third party apps. The My Cloud mobile app has the ability to integrate major public cloud-services so that customers can seamlessly transfer files between services like Dropbox, SkyDrive, and Google Drive.
Additionally, WD customers can use the My Cloud to back up their entire computer with the WD SmartWare Pro software for the PC, which supplies users options on how, when, and where to back up files. Mac users will have all the features of Time Machine to protect their data as well.
Users can also store and organize all of their families’ photos, videos, music and important documents in one secure place on their home network using the new desktop app. This allows the navigating, controlling and sharing these files from anywhere in the world. My Cloud also serves as a home’s digital entertainment hub that can stream to any DLNA-certified multimedia device, such as the WD TV Live media player. It is also compatible with smart TVs and gaming consoles.
While a one-bay home NAS is interesting, this is just the beginning for WD in the branded NAS space. During their lilve event, the company teased two drive and four drive My Cloud configurations that will be available later.
Price and Availability
Currently, the 2TB and 3TB My Cloud capacities (with a MSRP of $149.99 USD and $179.99 USD respectively) are only available at select U.S. retailers as well as online at the wdstore.com. The 4TB My Cloud is anticipated to be available in November at a price of $249.99 USD. The My Cloud mobile app is now available for download from the App Store and Google Play.
UPDATE 10/4/13 – WD My Cloud Review Posted
