|
Sony myloThe slick Sony mylo offers speedy Wi-Fi Web access, music and video playback, and the ability to Skype on the go. But is that enough to win over the Sidekick set? Price:
$349
by Jeffrey L. Wilson 
The Sony mylo, short for “my life online,” features nearly everything a mobile hipster could want in a handheld device. It sports Wi-Fi Internet access, a keyboard for instant messaging, and the ability to listen to tunes while you IM or surf. If you want to talk on the go, the mylo has Skype built in, too. Is all of that enough for youngsters to give the ever-popular Sidekick the boot? Yes, if they (or their parents) have a lot of dough.
Weighing 5.3 ounces and measuring 0.8 inches thick, the mylo is certainly pocket friendly. Our unit’s glossy black surface—it also comes in white—and curved base give it a sleek feel, even though it smudged easily. When we fired up the mylo, we were immediately impressed by its gorgeous 2.4-inch, 320 x 240-pixel (QVGA) screen. Menus looked sharp, and the display didn’t suffer when we viewed it from different angles. Easy navigation comes courtesy of a small thumbpad with a bright orange button in the middle, coupled with a Back button that sits just beneath it. The mylo features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Unfortunately, while the keys are nicely spaced, they’re also quite small; we found ourselves using the tip of our nails to peck out messages. We started by selecting the What’s Up icon, which takes you to a portal where you can conveniently view all of your contacts. After being prompted to connect to an available Wi-Fi network, we were online in seconds, chatting away with our friends on mylo’s included chat clients: Google Talk, Yahoo, and Skype (sorry, no AOL). Compared with the PC version, the Yahoo IM on this device is stripped down, with no avatars. The more barebones Gtalk enjoys an almost flawless translation to the mylo; even Gtalk’s ability to display your current music selection is intact. We were blown away by the Skype experience on the mylo. Voices were clear and crisp with only a hint of occasional lag. The earphones’ integrated microphone makes it simple to call someone without purchasing additional accessories. You can’t plug your own headphones into the mylo directly, but Sony includes an adapter for this purpose. Music playback is pretty standard fare, with the artist’s information and song runtime displayed. Pressing the Option button while a track is playing lets you shuffle songs as well as create playlists on the go—a nice touch. You can jam to tunes while messaging, viewing photos, or surfing the Web, recreating the home PC experience. The mylo supports ATRAC, MP3, and WMA music files, including secure WMA files (we used MTV’s Urge service). Two mylo users can even link wirelessly with the Ad Hoc connection to share playlists and stream music from one device to the other. Compare Prices | Sony mylo Specifications
Featured Site Sponsors
|
 |
|
