WD My Book World Edition 500 GB - Test

User friendly

It's all very user friendly.

After installing the software you can access the device as a drive, whether you are inside the network or on location elsewhere. Through the MioNet icon in the system tray you can access the management software, where you can create folders and share them. You can grant new users read or write access, or both. The device can also take care of mailing them their login details. Via www.mionet.com/mybook you or the user your granted access can access the My Book through the web. On that address a Java applet enables you to browse the disk and access files. On the same location you can download the MioNet software with which you can map a folder on the My Book to a drive letter. Other functions are accessing files on other servers and even remotely access a computer - and control it. All of these functions you can try out for free for a month when you buy a My Book, after that they cost $ 64,95 a year.

Access through the web.

The extra optional functionality of MioNet.

User friendliness is the main angle of the My Book and that goal has certainly been attained. It is a shame Windows is required to use the device: Apple users cannot access it at all. In a similar vein it's a pity the possibilities of the MyBook World Edition are so focused on only one purpose, without providing functionality like a mediaserver or a web photo album like we often encounter in NAS devices. The major disadvantage is the complete dependency on MioNet. While we of course hope the company will have a long and bright future, should they cease to exist the useability of the World Edition would be dramatically curtailed.