Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Wi-Fi Networks Get Sony

Sony unleashed a wireless communicator handset called the Mylo. The review here says it all:
I then went crazy, calling all my buddies from work and several local coffee shops with nary a hiccup. The Mylo's Skype software works like Skype on a computer, letting me make free Skype-to-Skype calls and low-cost Skype-to-phone calls. These sounded great to me, and others said my voice sounded clear. I could put the device to my ear cell-phone style or use its lapel mike, which has a port for plugging in iPod-style earbuds along with a cord that goes into the Mylo. The mike doesn't work well in noisy places, so I held the Mylo up while chatting with my sister in Paris and my pal in Puerto Rico. No problem. The Mylo's other features also work well. IM-ing on the device is a cinch. My Yahoo and Google IM buddies popped right up when I logged in. The device's keys are a bit too small, and Web browsing is cramped. Still, I had no trouble pulling up Yahoo Mail, Google Gmail and FastMail.FM (via the mobile-friendly Mail2Web service) for all my e-mails. I just wish Sony had built in an e-mail program, along with a browser. The Mylo is no iPod, but tunes sound fine in MP3, WMA and ATRAC formats. I had no trouble viewing photos on my device or a card, but the Mylo wouldn't play videos I had converted from QuickTime to MPEG-4. The Mylo even does text files, created on the device or transferred from a PC, for use as shopping lists and the like. Sony includes only Windows-based software for managing Mylo settings and transferring files, but loading it with goodies via a Macintosh is almost as easy because it treats a Mylo as an external drive (just look for the right folder). The Mylo is pricey at $350

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