One of the big advantages the My Passport Elite has over Western Digital's other portable drives is its software bundle. Along with the WD Sync synchronization and encryption software, it includes applications to automatically backup your files and remotely access your PC.
If you have autorun enabled, the application installer will automatically launch when you connect the drive. Once you agree to WD's license agreement you are presented with the menu pictured below. From here, you can install the bundled software onto your computer and then copy it to another location for safe keeping.
Western Digital has been shipping WD Sync with their portable drives for a number of years. Using this software, you can save your files and computer settings onto a drive like the My Passport Elite. While on the road, you can plug the drive into any Windows-based PC and use WD Sync to access and edit files, read email and view photos. When you get back to your home or office, all of the changes are automatically synchronized with your computer. Best of all, the data stored on the drive is protected by AES 128-bit encryption.
The My Passport Elite also comes with WD Anywhere Backup for both the Mac and PC. Normally included with Western Digital's desktop external hard drives, this software gives you the ability to create your own custom backup plans. WD Anywhere Backup allows you to choose which files and folders you want to back up as well as the location where they will be stored. Whenever you create or save changes to a file, the software will automatically back it up. It also keeps multiple versions of files so you can see how they've changed over time.
The third application included with the My Passport Elite is MioNet. This software gives you the ability to access your files and control your computer from any PC web browser. It also allows you to share your files with other MioNet users and, if your computer has a webcam, will let you remotely monitor your home or office.
It's not clear whether the version of MioNet included with the Elite is a trial version. While Western Digital says that the software is free for the life of the drive, the email verification I received said that it was only a 30 day trial. Let's hope that it's not a trial, as it is one of the Elite's more unique features. (Update: We checked with Western Digital and the version of MioNet included with the Elite is not a trial.)
