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Owners of the WD My Book Live NAS server can now do a lot more with the storage device via a mobile gadget.

Western Digital announced today the availability of the WD 2go mobile app for the iOS and Android platforms. It turns the NAS server into a personal storage cloud solution.

The app enables users to connect to the NAS server via the Internet using a Wi-Fi network or over a cellular connection. The remote user then can stream to the mobile device digital content, such as music, video, and photos, as well as documents and presentations that are stored on the NAS server.

Multiple users can be granted access to a single WD My Book Live at a time, via different accounts. To do this, the owner of the NAS just needs to create a new user account, using the NAS' Web interface, and enabled remote access on that account. This generates a 12-digit access code, which is entered into the WD 2go app. And that's all it takes for the setup process.

In order to support this new feature and mobile app, the WD My Book Live needs to run the latest firmware, which is a free update.

Other than the mobile platforms, remote users can also access the NAS via any full-featured Internet browser by pointing it to www.WD2go.com. … Read more

Western Digital's digital media streamers have always been solid options for playing back your mishmash digital media collection, but now they're one step better at handling premium services, too. Western Digital announced today that Hulu Plus support is coming to both the WD TV Live Plus and WD TV Live Hub network media players, and the WD TV Live Hub is also gaining Shoutcast support. Hulu Plus joins WD TV's already decent suite of streaming-media services, which includes Netflix, Pandora, CinemaNow, Blockbuster, and YouTube.

With the street price of the WD TV Live Plus coming in at $… Read more

Western Digital announced today that it is now shipping the WD Scorpio Blue 1TB, its first 1TB internal 2.5-inch hard drive for laptops that has the same 9.5mm thickness as drives of smaller capacities.

While 1TB is not the largest capacity on the market for a drive of the 2.5-inch design, most other current 1TB or larger drives, including the previous version 1TB of the Scorpio Blue, come in the 12.5mm thickness standard and therefore are not compatible with most existing laptops.

WD says that the new WD Scorpio Blue 1TB is designed for mainstream notebook computers and has an areal density of 500GB per platter, making it possible to keep the dual-platter drive in the standard-thickness design. For the first time, laptop computers will be able to offer 1TB of storage without having to resort to external solutions.

According to WD, the WD Scorpio Blue features low power consumption and cool and quiet operation, and is resistant to shocks of up to 400Gs. The drive itself spins at just 5,200rpm, slower than the typical 5,400rpm. … Read more

If you regularly travel with a portable hard drive, you'll want to check this out. It's the WD Nomad, a $30 case designed to protect Western Digital's line of My Passport portable hard drives from 7-foot drops, dust, and moisture. The polycarbonate shell shields your hard drive while a shock-absorbing elastomer cushion inside keeps it snug, and a heavy-duty latch and silicon liner seals the whole thing up.

What's also nice about this case is that once your drive is inside, there's little reason to open it up again. There's an opening for connecting a USB cable and an exterior ring for attaching a carabiner, cable, or strap to secure it to a bag.

The WD Nomad rugged case is compatible with My Passport drives including My Passport Essential, My Passport Essential SE, My Passport Elite, My Passport for Mac, and My Passport SE for Mac. I really wish I had one of these a year ago when I dropped my portable drive causing irreparable damage and costing me 250GB of photos, videos, and documents as well as the purchase price of a new drive.… Read more

Skipping CDs, navigation CDs do you even need CDs at all these days? We'll let you know all about it, but first I'm about to totally nerd out about all-wheel drive systems. This is the 14th episode of CNET Roadside Assistance for Thursday, the 26th of May 2011 and I am Antuan Goodwin alongside Senior Editor Wayne Cunningham. This is the show where the car tech guys take a moment to answer your emails and highlight your comments.

We see all-wheel-drive (AWD) badges on cars, crossovers, and SUVs all of the time. However, for those who really care about how their cars work, that badge can often stir up more questions than answers. Are all four wheels always being driven? Does AWD improve handling or does it improve safety? Are some systems better than others?

The answers to those questions vary by automaker and even by model. For example, there are automakers who use on-demand AWD systems across their lineup (Mazda comes to mind) and others, like Subaru, use full-time AWD for their vehicles. Other manufacturers, like Nissan, … Read more

After the WD Caviar Green, Western Digital announced today a new green hard drive that also offers up to 3TB of storage, the WD AV-GP.

The company says that the new drive is designed specifically for audio and video applications, such as DVRs, Media Center PCs, and surveillance systems; will deliver 24-7 reliability; and uses less power thanks to WD's GreenPower Technology. According to WD, the AV-GP drives have been field-tested to have a rated 1-million-hour mean time between failures.

The new WD AV-GP drive has a SATA interface and comes in 2.5TB and 3TB capacities. Note that … Read more

Since the release of the 3TB GreenPower drive, it's only been a matter of time before Western Digital incorporated that hardware into a dual-drive external storage device to offer what is currently the largest desktop external hard drive.

The company unveiled its first 6TB drive, the My Book Studio Edition II, last month and I have just finished taking a close look at the drive.

Like previous version of the My Book Studio or the My Book World Edition, the My Book Studio Edition II takes the shape of a closed book standing upright as on a shelf. The … Read more

Western Digital announced today that it has released a firmware update that adds TuneIn Radio, the world's largest Internet radio guide with more than 30,000 free radio stations, to its WD TV players, including the WD TV Live, WD TV Live Plus, and WD TV Live Hub media center.

In addition, the update gives the WD TV Live Hub media center access to Deezer, a personalized on-demand music service that was already available on the WD TV Live and WD TV Live Plus.

The new firmware update, depending on the specific player, also offers better support for media … Read more