Sony has announced details of the Mylo - a Wi Fi-enabled personal communications device aimed at competing with the Sidekick from Danger, the Nokia 770 wireless Internet mini-tablet and other similar devices. Boasting 1GB of built-in flash memory, the Mylo also comes with a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot to accommodate up to 4GB, and has a 320 by 240 pixel 2.4-inch LCD screen.
Mylo's QWERTY keypad features predictive typing, and chat is via Yahoo. It is also compatible with MSN Messenger and Skype (provided you have paid for SkypeOut and SkypeIn.) Media formats available for playback and view include MP3, ATRAC, WMA (including DRM features!), MP4 and JPEG. 45 hour music battery life is attainable, which drops to 3 hours if used for Skype. Mylo measures 12.3 x 6.3 x 2.4cm and weighs 150g.
The device's name is an abbreviation of the tacky phrase "My Life Online". Clearly aimed at young people, the Mylo website is reportedly a pretty funky affair. I would suppose that the owner of the Mylo is likely a not-so-tech-savvy teenager or 20-something that wants to get the benefits of modern Internet and multimedia technology without any of those annoying advanced features getting in the way. Some may find it desirable but I'd take a budget laptop over it any day.
The price will be $350 in the US. There are no details of a UK launch as yet, but one should be expected.