Sony's New Mylo Wifi Handheld

[freizugheit]

It will be the first Qtopia platform running on Wind River's embedded Linux OS.

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8202297251.html

[enodr]

It will support skype. Maybe that means we will soon be able to use Skype on the Zaurus with a quick hack (or without)?

[jfv]

Does anybody know what processor it uses?

Felipe

[ZDevil]

Just summarized the specs from the web:  

Specifications
CPU: ARM 9
OS & environment: Qtopia & Wind River's embedded Linux OS (?)
Display: Resolutions 320x240 (QVGA), 16-bit (64K colors), 2.4" in TFT active matrix, landscape mode
Memory: 1 GB Flash (memory only or also with the OS there?)
Connectivity: IEEE 802.11b (WEP, WPA-PSK enabled)
VoIP clients (preinstalled): Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and Skype
Data input: Sliding QWERTY thumbboard
Expansion: Memory Stick Du0 x 1
Audio format supported: MP3, ATRAC, WMA (secure & insecure) , WAV
Audio input/output: built-in microphone, headphone jack
Power: Lithium ion 3.7V 1200mAh
Battery life: up to 3.5 hours for internet talk time; up to 45 (!!) hours for music playback; up to 8 hours for video playback
Dimensions: 55.0 mm x 88.1 mm x 18.7 mm = 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" x 3/4"
Weight: 150g = 5.3oz =0.3 lbs
Casing colors: Black or White
Initial price: USD 350
Availability: September 2006

More links:
Sony Official Mylo homepage: http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/i...prod/index.html
Sony press release: http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/con...ease/24061.html
Official specification sheet here: http://news.sel.sony.com/documents/consume...Sheet_final.pdf
CNET's review (with video!): http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_Mylo/4505-3127_7-31995317.html
Also see the news at LinuxDevice.com http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8202297251.html and  at I4U http://www.i4u.com/article6241.html


Initial thoughts (compared to Z):
Upsides:
-- Newer processor
-- Seemingly better power management (if the 45 hours audio playback is true ...)
-- Only half as heavy as Z (the clamshell models)
-- Built-in wifi (  )
-- Built-in microphone
-- 1GB FLASH memory (compare to 128 MB in Z, despite the 4GB/ 6GB MD )
-- Skype ready!

Downsides:
-- Small and QVGA only display
-- No SD/CF slot (so no MD too ), but just the damned proprietary memory stick ... and duo ...  
-- No USB OTG
-- No infrared
-- Less useful key layouts: no separate NUM keys, no Ctrl, Alt    , no Ok and Cancel, no individual app keys (Calendar ... Menu) and screen keys
-- No Rocker swtich
-- (?) No portrait mode display


Wild thoughts:
Looks like the successor of the legendary CLIE PDA line. (At last!)
IMHO this Mylo would be a great new force and an interesting new species in the embedded linux realm, and would add a lot of fun to the dev of Qtopia/Cacko/OZ/pdaX/whatever else ...  

[ZDevil]

Just one small question: would this post attract more attention and discussion if moved to the General Discussion page?

[samot]

Does it have a touchscreen? Without a touchscreen it sounds more like a cell phone.

[ZDevil]

I guess so. I don't see any reason for Sony to not do so if Archos already did it. And crucially a handheld without touchscreen is a joke.  

[nilch]

There a hands-on demo of the mylo on Youtube.
Dont know the exact URL (cannt access at office). Maybe a search of Mylo will bring it up.

Pretty nice demo , and nice specs too - but come-on why does Sony bring out such play-toy shaped devices instead of making it look more sharp (pun unintended) and business-like ? I just didn't like the form factor and the round hand-hold shapes on the device.
My 2 cents...

[jfv]

Mylo on youtube

The demo is not nice. The guy has the music too loud for half the movie so you can't quite  hear what he says. He never makes it clear whether the thing has a touchscreen or not since he only uses the buttons and although he gives a rundown on some of the features I was left with a ton of questions.

If you search for "sony mylo", you'll find it. You also find a funny spoof of this demo in which a guy "demos" a basic nokia phone with the same amount of information as the actual mylo demo.

Felipe

[freizugheit]

Hands on with the sony Mylo

[freizugheit]

Amazon is starting to take order now.

[Meanie]

Amazon is starting to take order now.
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cool, I'll get one for my sister's bday...

[adf]

you know.... if it were a phone It'd be a "must have"  even with a Z. As is, I'll pass.
I'm glad to see stuff like this making headway, though

[freizugheit]

Review from AP:

Review: Sony woos teens with Mylo gadget


   Sony's latest effort to capture the hearts, minds and money of teens and twenty-somethings is a Web browser, messaging program, wireless phone and digital music player all rolled into a handheld gadget that goes by the name Mylo.

The features can be found on just about any mid-range mobile phone these days but there is one key difference: The Mylo works on any Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection, so you can surf the Web or chat on campus, at the coffee shop, in the bookstore or wherever there is an 802.11b hotspot.

Mylo - short for "my life online" - is a bit pricey at US$350 (HK$2,730) but it could be a money-saver if you counted how much mobile carriers charged for data services. (Some Wi-Fi hotspot operators charge, though many do not).

At just over 145 grams, the Mylo feels like an undersized game controller, with a bright 2-by-1 1/2-inch backlit screen that packs 320-by-240 pixels of sharp resolution. A standard thumb keyboard slides out from below, perhaps as a nod to those of us a tad older than the device's target market.

It boots up quickly. Ask it to access the internet and it will list available open connections and secure ones needing a password or network key. Each connection can be registered, so you will soon develop a list of favourite hotspots as you cruise around town. JiWire's worldwide hotspot directory is included for those who do not know where to go.

Once online, it is easy to contact a friend on Yahoo's Yahoo Messenger, Google's Google Talk or Skype, eBay's Voice-over-Internet-Protocol service. No such luck if your pal is on AOL Instant Messenger, the most popular messaging service at home and work in the United States, or Microsoft's MSN Messenger.

The standard keyboard layout makes chatting a snap for anyone who has taken a typing course, though it might be an adjustment for those used to a phone keypad. Emoticons, profiles and ignore functions are accessible through the Mylo's option button next to the screen.

The "What's Up" screen pulls all messaging contacts together. Friends show up as available regardless of the service they're using.

Built-in Skype software is as close as the Mylo gets to being a phone. Sign up for a free account and you can call other Skype members and, at least through the end of the year, dial any telephone number in the US or Canada free. For an extra fee you can get a SkypeIn number so anyone can call you using a traditional phone number. (Google Talk on the Mylo is limited to text chatting.)

The Mylo ships with an earbud headset and microphone but Sony did not include it with my review unit, so I could only test the device using its built-in microphone and speaker. They sufficed during a Skype call from a quiet office but the headset would be a must in a crowded coffee house.

Web surfing through the Mylo's Opera Web browser is functional but I've yet to find a handheld device that makes it easy to view a page designed to look good on a 19-inch monitor.

The Mylo tries hard, offering three text-size settings and a 50-to-150 per cent zoom range. It also can toggle between normal mode, which requires a lot of horizontal scrolling, and fit-to-screen mode, which does a lot of squeezing. Navigation was clunky but I was able to bring up most websites. Pages that rely on Adobe Systems' Flash animation software proved troublesome.

The device also has no built in e-mail software, though you can pull up messages from Web-based services offered by Yahoo, Google and Microsoft.

The Mylo's other main attraction is its multimedia capability, which can be used when no wireless hotspot is available or while you're chatting and surfing.

It boasts a gigabyte of internal storage for music, photos and MPEG-4 video files. It also provides a slot to add a Memory Stick, but it is tricky to open. There is no built-in support for other memory formats.

The photo browser can handle JPEG, PNG and BMP files but unlike many mobile phones, the Mylo does not have a built-in camera.

The music player can handle MP3, ATRAC as well as secured and unsecured Windows Media Audio files but not anything purchased at Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store.

The placement of a single control for play, stop, rewind and forward is fine but the volume controls on the lower back of the device are awkward.

Songs can be transferred to the Mylo through a USB cable but I could not test that functionality as Sony did not include that cable with the review unit. I was able to upload a few MP3 files to the device through Skype and got them to play.

The Mylo also includes a basic text editor that can be used to create a shopping list or take notes during class. Text files can be transferred to a computer through the USB cable or Memory Stick, or sent over the internet through e-mail or one of the chat programs.

Sony says the lithium-ion battery provides 3 1/2 hours of Internet call time, about eight hours of video and up to 45 hours of music playback.

The device also allows users to wirelessly hook up with other nearby Mylo owners to trade messages or stream MP3s.

The Mylo is the latest device looking to blur the lines between phones, computers and media players. It's a cute gadget that does what it sets out to do, but is it worth investing in a device that's only fully functional at Wi-Fi hotspots?

Students living and going to class on a Wi-Fi-enabled campus might think so, but US$350 is a hefty initial investment even if you're saving on monthly access fees.

The Mylo's future might depend on whether it becomes known as the next cool gotta-have gizmo.

[speculatrix]

it's a shame that neither the PSP nor the mylo have a touch-screen otherwise - particularly the Mylo as it runs linux - you could run tomtom on it.