In a press release issued today, Western Digital announced some expansion of their portable storage units. Western Digital's Passport line, which is a small step above a laptop drive in an external enclosure, has been updated to include a 250GB unit. Utilizing "DuraStep Ramp" technology for shock protection and coming in a steel chassis like other Passport units, the drive is quite durable. It comes with all the software the other units have such as their own syncing software, though for all intents and purposes it is still just an external mass storage device. When using their sync software, however, it allows data to be encrypted on the disk in the event it should be lost.

WD expects the units to be available online and in retail stores for around $200. You can read the full press release at their site. 250GB in a handheld enclosure is quite nice, especially for those who like to travel with lots of data. The next smallest Passport is a 160GB model.