Western Digital's new My Book Live network storage device boasts file transfer speeds of up to 100 Mbps, four times faster than many of its peers. Additionally, the company has hinted to Pocket-lint that there could also be a 3TB version (it has similarly-sized HDDs on the way), as well as 1TB and 2TB editions.

Simplicity is the key to the My Book Live: "If using Windows 7 or a Mac, all you need to know is how to plug it into the wall and your router", said Jim Welsh, Western Digital's executive vice president. "It works with both PC and Mac environments, and is mounted automatically".

The drive also works with the company's free iPhone/iPad app, WD Photos. Through it, you can access all of your photos stored on the device, including pinch and zoom functionality and slide show (which can have your music play in the background thanks to multi-tasking compatibility), and you can upload any picture to Facebook.

App support is important to Welsh: "We're really strongly motivated in attaching to tablet devices", he stated, hinting that further integration - with other devices, too - could come along somewhere down the line.

For now, though, the Western Digital My Book Live will be available in the UK in early November. Prices are unconfirmed at present, but in the US, the 1TB version is $169.99 (£107.30) and the 2TB model retails at $229.99 (£145.18). There's no indication of price or date for a 3TB device.

UPDATE: The UK prices have just been announced. The 1TB version will retail at £154.99, while the 2TB My Book Live will be £204.99. There's still no news on a prospective 3TB version.

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