WD shrinks the size of portable 320 GB capacity

Western Digital today introduced its latest portable hard drives: the thin and attractive My Passport Elite series, available now at 250 GB and 320 GB in a small form factor.

The My Passport Elite 320 GB hard drive is available for a suggested retail price of $199.99, and the 250 GB hard drive is available for $169.99.

A capacity gauge lets users quickly see how much space is left -- a key differentiator. WD also designed the My Passport Elite drives to be able to plug-and-play with the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles, allowing gamers to easily transport content.

WD's competitor Seagate has several external hard drive models already available: in its FreeAgent series, its 80 GB currently sells for $69.99, its 120 GB for $99.99, and its 160 GB for $129.99. By comparison, the My Passport Elite drives are smaller and have higher storage capabilities. The WD offering is 0.590 x 4.967 in. and weighs just 3.69 oz., while the Seagate portable hard drives weigh 6.4 oz. Both product lines boast of max transfer speeds of 480 Mb/sec, by virtue of their USB 2.0 connections.

But Seagate does have one advantage in its favor: its 7200 rpm rotational speed, which should yield higher sustained throughput rates. WD didn't openly specify its rotational speed this morning, though listings from retailers' Web sites today clearly show 5400 rpm.