When a Cell Phone Isn't a Cell Phone (And Is a Harbinger of Old Age)

[Roger]

I'm starting to feel old, and Sony's not helping my cause. It just released a new-fangled (yes, that's the term oldsters like me use) wireless communicator/multimedia player/web browser called the Mylo (which stands for "my life online"). The catch is that it doesn't transmit and receive signals via a cellular network. Rather, it takes advantage of existing Wi-Fi networks (802.11b) to provide wireless communication via instant messaging or internet telephony (VoIP, or voice over IP).

Sony's partnered with Google and Yahoo! to provide IM and email capability, the Opera web browser for full-site browsability, and Skype for VoIP (which is also providing free SkypeOut calling to any mobile or landline telephone in the US or Canada, in addition to calling friends using Skype on their PCs).
This small handheld device (just 5.3 ounces) features a bright 2.4-inch color LCD with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and it's compatible with MP3, WMA (secure and non-secure) and ATRAC digital audio playback as well as MPEG4 video and JPEG slideshows. It's powered by a lithium-ion battery that offers up to 45 hours of music playback, around seven hours of chatting and web surfing, and more than three hours of continuous Skype talk time. For an intro to Mylo, check out this first-look video by Gizmodo over at YouTube. You can also check out all the features and partner offers over at Sony.

The big catch of the Mylo is that you have to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to take advantage of the communication features. And this is also where the Mylo is contributing to the creeping realization of my advancing age: it's not made for me. Sony created the device for the kids, and specifically those who are on school campuses with ubiquitous Wi-Fi that make it easy and seamless to latch onto the wireless network to communicate with their social network. Sigh... I'm beginning to feel left out.

Anywho, it comes in black and white, and both models are available for pre-order now.

--Posted by Agen



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