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WD MY PASSPORT IS RAW FULL SIZE
While the WD has an SD card slot, the Gnarbox has full-size and micro-SD card slots, and though the WD has a full-size USB 3.0 port, the Gnarbox has full size USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, and they both have one of those weird-shaped USB 3.0-sized ports that can accept a micro-USB plug in the right half (see photo below if you’re confused).
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When it comes to hard connections, the Gnarbox offers more flexibility. This is great if you’re in a hotel room and are working with the drive while also streaming music or pulling video clips from a remote drive, for example. Not only can the drive then be shared by a team that’s working on a project together (the Gnarbox supports multiple direct connections), it also means that you can continue using your WiFi internet at the same time… not currently possible with the Gnarbox 3 Tim at Gnarbox assures me that this will be possible in the future with their v2.0 OS. Additionally, though, the WD Passport can be connected directly to an existing WiFi network so that it can be accessed as a network drive. Both devices provide the option to connect directly to the drive’s WiFi hot-spot, at which point the drive can be controlled by an app (we’ll get to the apps in more detail later). Takeaway: If you work around town, then the Passport’s build and accessibility make it great for backing up data while on the go, but if you need something to count on in rough conditions, the Gnarbox is much more likely to protect your data. It’s not especially grippy, and I almost immediately dropped mine on some rocks and dinged up a corner (visible in the photo at the top of the page), but it still works for the moment. The body of the drive is a square (about 5 x 5 inches, and 7/8ths inch thick) of normal drive-enclosure plastic, and a bit bigger than the Gnarbox, though not as thick. If ease of access is more important to you, then the Passport Wireless‘s ports and slots are not hidden behind stiff doors that sometimes need to be pried open with a coin 2 My Gnarbox is new, and perhaps will loosen up with age, but for now it’s a pain to open the side doors without a tool or gloves. It’s not tiny like a plain external SSD, but it is still nice and compact: 5.25 inches by 3.4, and about one inch thick. If you’re hiking through snowy conditions or rafting to your next destination, you can be pretty sure that your data will be safe in the Gnarbox. Its rugged, rubberized case has two weather sealed doors protecting the card-reader slots and cable ports, and just as importantly, the inner workings of the box contain no moving parts (it uses solid-state memory rather than a spinning hard-drive), making it much more shock resistant. The Gnarbox was designed for back-country use, and it shows.
WD MY PASSPORT IS RAW PRO
Resting on a thick bed of moss, the Western Digital MyPassport Wireless Pro (left) and the Gnarbox 256GB (right) are both portable, but the Gnarbox is more compact. I try to remain as objective as possible in my reviews, but as with anything you read on the internet, take this with a grain of salt. I purchased the WD unit myself, and also have no ongoing relationship with the company. 1 Gnarbox provided me with a review unit for free, but I did not receive and will not receive in the future any financial compensation for referrals, purchases, clicks or anything else from the company. Note: Gnarbox provided me an early unit for testing. Which one makes more sense for a working photographer to carry? Let’s take a look. The Western Digital MyPassport Wireless Pro also contains a CPU, a dual-core Realtek RTD1195PN, which helps allow the device to run apps like Plex Server and simultaneously stream multiple videos to several connected devices, it costs half as much as the Gnarbox, and the version that I tested contains a 2TB hard-drive. It contains a quad-core processor and 256GB of solid-state storage, and apps that allows you to control it through your smart phone or tablet.
WD MY PASSPORT IS RAW PORTABLE
At first glance, it appears to be just another portable hard-drive, but Gnarbox promotes their device as an alternative to carrying a laptop while traveling in the back-country.