Storage for photographers on-the-go

The WD My Passport Wireless SSD gives more than just data storage space, writes Izwan Ismail

AS a journalist and a photography enthusiast, storage is extremely vital, especially when I’m travelling. I used to carry my laptop around, but as age catches up, I find it troublesome as it adds an extra kilo or two to my luggage.

However, I still have to back up the images that I take — hundreds sometimes even thousands of them.

So when WD (Western Digital) launched the My Passport Wireless SSD, I felt that my wish had been granted.

The My Passport Wireless SSD is designed for photographers, and those who need to back up huge amounts of HD videos while on-the-go like drone owners. What I like about this storage is that it features a built-in SD card reader with up to 65 Mbps read speeds and a one-touch copy button that makes it easy to quickly back up photos and videos from an SD card without a computer or additional software.

This is a huge relief as I can now have my photos backed up without the need to bring a laptop with me.

When I’m back home, I can transfer the photos in the SSD to my laptop at a higher speed as the My Passport Wireless SSD can speed up to 390MB/s4 when using the USB 3.0 port to move files to and from PC or Mac computers.

The device also allows me to preview RAW images on my phone or tablet, and export them for editing with third party apps.

Normal hard disks can be easily affected if dropped, but this is not the case with the My Passport Wireless SSD. It is built with a protective bumper on the outside to safeguard its content from vibrations and drops up to one metre, even when the drive is in operation.

So if you accidentally drop it from a table or a bench while transferring some photos, the data is likely to be okay.

It also features all-day battery life, RAW image support and the ability to wirelessly stream 4K videos and view photos with the My Cloud mobile app.

One of the problems of using electronic devices while on the go is the battery life. This one has a 10-hour continuous use capability, which means I can bring it on an all-day shoot, and stay out in the field longer.

If I take a budget airline like AirAsia, for example, I can use the My Passport Wireless SSD as a means to continuously stream videos to my phone while in flight.

My Passport Wireless SSD creates its own fast 802.11ac WiFi connection so that users can wirelessly connect to their drive to access and view saved photos or smoothly stream 4K videos directly to their phone or tablet using the My Cloud app. They can also use third party apps, like FiLMiC Pro, to capture and save footage directly to the drive, or LumaFusion to edit video in the field. On top of being a wonderful back-up storage device, the My Passport Wireless SSD can also double as a power bank should you need one while on the move. You can charge your smartphone, action camera and other mobile devices on the go with this handy, integrated 6,700 mAh power bank. This device provides up to 1.5A of power or 0.9A when the drive is powered on.

The My Passport Wireless SSD is compatible with Windows 10, 8.1 or 7, Mac OS X El Capitan, Sierra, or High Sierra. It requires DLNA/UPnP or Plex-enabled devices for streaming.

The device is available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB formats and prices range from RM1,099 to RM3,699.

The My Passport Wireless SSD price may be on the high end for a storage device, but if you value the content you created and want a back-up as soon as you create one, then this device will be a good investment.