Sony intros Mylo, first REAL 770 competitor
 

Gizmodo did a writeup on it, but the Mylo seems to be the first real threat to the 770. It is a small wifi device that focuses on internet browsing (using Opera), VOIP via skype, text messaging via Yahoo and GTalk (how the hell is Google getting this much coverage when almost no one uses it?) and extensive media capabilities. Given that it has a big focus on media, the 1GB of internal RAM and support for Memory Sticks is pretty cool.

It is supposed to cost around $350. If Skype is well implemented and the browsing is decent, it could well end up replacing my 770. The link to Gizmodo is below and they have a video review of it.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/wireless/...ing-192676.php
http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/...mylo-thumb.jpg

Well, sort of. Screen is tiny, no mention of bluetooth or OS, available apps, etc.

But I would kill for a slider thumbboard for my 770.

Looks nice, but the 320x240 resolution screen kinda kills it.

Yep. .

...and...and
 

and what about an opensource os? and dev environment..and..and..

It's a Sony.

So I won't buy it. Who knows what kind of spyware those *rseh*les are hiding away in there?

Other than that, it looks like the perfect device for the Mike Canes of this world: shiny, bright colour accents, big buttons...

May be good for kids
 

It looks like a toy. May be good for kids, and 770 is for advanced users.

It is also only a 2.4in screen

i got all excited until I saw the 320 by 240 pixel resolution on a tiny screen

BUT why can't we get SKYPE on our 770's? Google Talk was crippled by lack of multi-party calling on the day it was issued, and despite the passage of a year, STILL does not have multi-party. I can't call my brothers...they have simply stopped using Google Talk. Nokia struck a "nice" corporate deal with Google...but they should let us have SKYPE as well.

Why don't you try GizmoProject? I think it has conference calling.

Sony isn't the company it once was. They tend to use sub-par parts which is why 90% of Sony equipment comes with only a 90 day labor/parts warranty. Being heavily involved in the electronics industry, warranty's always extend to the quality of components you use in the product.

Nokia also doesn't want the 770 to bite it in the *** - - if I lived in a WiFi cloud, I wouldn't need a cell phone anymore now would I?

Mylo looks small... too small for my liking. Mayhaps the low resolution will accomodate the screen it's on? The PSP has a low resolution but everything's dithered enough to make it look passable.

In any case, I won't go near any Sony product with anything short of a loaded rifle. I hope that $50 they snaked out of me for Starwars Galaxies was worth it. :cool:

And another thing, the Sony doesn't have a digitizer in the screen (or, if it does, it's hidden marvelously). Does anyone remember the joy of surfing on the PSP? (dangit! I really need a sarcasm smiley)

No touch screen, low res, completely propietary and closed (in true Sony style).

Although it has a nice media-center style interface (necissary without a touch screen) and a full qwerty keyboard, it's pretty lame.

http://www.wired.com/news/technology...?tw=wn_index_7

Another article. There was a comment left saying "First of it's kind? I've had a Palm for years" and I followed it up with one on the 770. Both appear to be gone now with "First of it's kind" remaining in the story.

The Mylo looks like a trinket, nothing more than a wifi enabled sidekick.

Yeah albertkarel is right. If they can make a Skype version for the Sony device, why can't we have it? Apart from that, the Sony screen is far too small to make me envy that.

ok. sony makes proprietary stuff. right.
but they have a special target: the young guys using their mobile phones as media device.
the young guys who are not interested in reading wikipedia neither in porting nmap.
the guys who want the feeling to have "style", content, and connectivity
in their pocket. (in the video they say: you can share video with your frineds).
and that's the way they will sell this machine, this will be the wireless
video-messenger-ipod. did you ever care about the OS on your ipod?
of course, when trying to make an audio recording, but that's it...
sony knows what are the most important features and they will not
lock the mic input as apple did on the 3rd gen ipods..
sony is just waking up another network of users wanting to
watch and share media. does not matter that in the moment you wanna share your first mp3 you realize it is proprietary and the other device does not wanna play it..
you have the feeling of owning it. that's it. and most people will have it for 350.
thanx to the keyboard and the hardware keys allowing to use it as a walkman in your pockets...
they have their target. would you say that the will sell 15 millions of psp in a year if the only thing you can use it for is playing games and listening to music? 15 millions.

the 770 needs a keyboard. that's the message.
and a ready-to-go feeling, advertised everywhere.
as sony does: you switch it on, and you can type.
that's it.

Tiny low-res non-touch screen? No thanks.
If Nokia came out with a keyboard slider for the 770, it's all it needs.

Thanks!!......But no thanks.

Screens just too small, no BT etc

This thing is aimed @ myspace/im crackheads. I mean... Have you ever stumbled upon people in the ?hip 18/24yrs? crowd using 770s?

Let's not kid ourselves guys... the appeal of this great device will always be limited. So faken what?!?! I dont own a 770 cuz im an ?internet socialite?... !!!

Its like a sidekick... replacing phone*wi-fi... and every other device nowadays comes with some sort of mplayer/couple-inches screen combo, so that to me is quotidian by now.

Sony its doing its thing, but its pretty narrowly focused, which is not my thing. The 770's greatest three assets are its flexibility, its potential, and its accessibility... throws the ******s off, but provides a ton possibilities to the interested/able/willing.

What I dont get is why Nokia, which KNOWS cellphones, hasnt come up with a wireless modem (cell) extension for the 770. Arent most phone companies scared shaitless of voip and merging with digital sevices companies? Which brings me to my point...

Inevitably, the analog phone will die. Cant nokia partner up and kill it first?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we haven't mentioned that this device runs Linux.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/10/m...nder-the-hood/

You are correct. I've been wondering what the os was, I thought for sure sony would use windows. Too bad it's qtopia, this doesn't put us much closer to a skype client on the 770.

QVGA just isn't enough. Heck, I came to the 770 from a VGA Pocket PC and even there the screen was an annoyance, the extra pixels from 640 to 800 in width really is what "makes" the 770 as a browser.

I'm sure the Mylo will sell, it's looking slick and polished. At the end of the day, though, it is nothing special at all - in fact, a nice PDA phone would seem to me like a much better investment.

The Mylo is total pants in comparison to the 770, but I suspect the Mylo will fair better than the 770 because the buying public is confused by the 770 - it's by Nokia, but it's not a phone; it's a pocket computer, but it's not a PDA; it's an internet tablet, but you need a phone when not at home (and it's by Nokia?! Where's the phone!) etc.

Sony know how to market, and will market the Mylo well, they won't be saddled with the same issues Nokia face, although it will be compared unfavourably to the PSP if it's cr@p at games. Kids will buy Mylo, inquisitive adults with cash burning a hole in their pocket will buy it. It will sell reasonably well for a product in this category, better than the 770 which isn't being marketed well at all.

Maybe the push from Nokia will come with the mkII, whenever that appears - don't leave it too long Nokia, upstarts may be about to clean up. If Sony think the market is ripe for Mylo they obviously see it has significant potential, Nokia need to get the 770 back on track and in front of the right people - other than the lack of keyboard (how about a low cost keyboard/cover attachment?) it wipes the floor with Mylo.

I don't see the Mylo taking off for a number of reasons:

- $350 is too much for this thing.
- The PSP cost less and a good chunk of the targeted audience of the Mylo already have one.
- The screen is too small for a true browsing experience.
- Being made by Sony, it will likely lock out hackers that want to do more with the device.
- There are a lot of people reluctant to be burnt again by Sony's "evil ways". Does anyone remember the DRM root kit fiasco?

Maybe if the Nokia 770 never happened many of us would jump on this, but then again Sony has been copying its competitors allot lately...

I don't think so.
 

Puhleeze! No BT, tiny screen, Sony treachery...'nough said.

the mylo is an overpriced, under-speced pile of crap....a 2.5" screen?? they've got to be joking!!!

Doesn't Sony make only Proprietary stuff, like Dell does? Just because it "looks" good, does NOT mean it is good.

The ONLY two things Sony makes that aren't proprietary are certain batteries and computers [and I wouldn't even trust some of their computers these days either]. This Mylo thing is doomed to a shorter life than their Clie line.

Burn baby burn!
 

I believe that the batteries (that can catch fire) that Apple is recalling are made by Sony :p

Here's a early look @ the mylo:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/h...the-sony-mylo/

The small screen is still a deal killer for me... might as well use a freakin cell phone. whats the point.

BTW, I don't mean to be an ***, but Sony does make non proprietary stuff like TVs and CD players, believe it or not. Anyone remember the transistor radio, the walkman? come on give these guys some credit.
Sony gets a lot of crap these days, but mainly because of the mismanagement under that A S S Howard Stringer. I did recently buy a Bravia LCD TV, because after comparing all my choices, the quality was still the best (The Sharp, though looking good on paper did not seem to perform as well in reality).
anyways, I'm usually first to criticize Sony's incompetance, but I also realize that they have put out a lot of good products in the past and they do (or at least used to before Stringer), put a lot into their R&D.

edit: also, the linux on a sony device does not surprise me all that much. They did afterall support the Linux on PS2 project. And the Clies run palm OS, so they are not all Windows all the time.

Just to add to the post above... I didn't realize just how tiny the Mylo was until I saw it compared to the 770 in the Engadget article. Oh, and Sony is using Linux on the PS3 as well. Each console will come preloaded with it.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.en.../09/mylo_8.jpg

I have a feeling this is one of those devices that's cool to look at, but will suck at everything it's supposed to do. Until I can personally get my hands on one to see if I'm wrong, I'm sticking with my first instincts. Also, is it just me, or should Sony have come out with this thing as the Clie replacement a long time ago?

Tiny screen--pathetic.
 

You would not be happy (unless you knew no better).

This is a child's toy, people. Nothing more. Much like comparing a Tonka Toy truck to a real one.

Here's a Mylo review:

http://laptopmag.com/Review/Sony-Mylo.htm

just as expected: decent UI and features, crappy screen realestate...

One positive thing that may come out of all of this is that if the mylo does get adopted by some set of people (read: gen-y kids), it may solidify the "Internet Tablet" as a legitimate product category in the eyes of the general pubic. Maybe with the addition of the mylo, the Internet Tablet category will generate more interest, and the 770 can get some well deserved advertisement through proxy. A little competition for the 770 may convince Nokia to further develop the 770 and its successor for the mass market.

If the mylo had better screen res, it would have been perfect for me to give to someone like my mom, so she doesn't have to lug a laptop when she goes abroad. Lets face it, the way it stands, the 770 isn't for all users. Thats OK, but Nokia may need to work on a even simpler and friendlier interface, set-up, features, and user experience for the general public.

That said, I'm perfectly happy with what the 770 does, it is exactly the device that I waited for since around 1999, when I decided the palm pilot was a useless piece of junk. It took seven long years for my wish to be fulfilled, but kudos to Nokia for bringing us the 770.

The mylo is not an internet tablet by most industry standards - no touchscreen, small display/bad surfing experience, no email client. It competes with the sidekick, MDA, etc. We don't need any more of those type devices, and I hope 770 development is not infuenced by the mylo.

OK whatever. If you are going to nitpick on what constitutes an "internet tablet", there probably won't be any other device on the market that will fit (perhaps ever) into your narrow defintition of the category.
I agree that the mylo is not a "tablet" device, and as you point out there are many deficiencies. I'm not even saying it measures up to the 770 in any way, or is in direct competition or shares the same demographic. But in the eyes of the masses and idiotic tech reviewers such niche classifications make little difference.
I guess I'm a little more flexible with my definition of what a internet tablet may be, or whatever one wants to call an internet devoted palm sized device. Perhaps because I don't see touch-screen as a necessity. For one thing the stylus paradigm is outdated and probably will eventually be replaced by some other input method at least in some devices. Personally I would not necessarily reject a mouse-pointer via joy pad type control, among other possible UI+hardware combinations. The stylus thing's a vestige of the Newton Message Pad thats been badly implemented through Palm and later by Pocket PCs and Tablet PCs.
In anyway my point was not that Nokia should be influenced in its development of the 770 (as you put it) by the mylo. My point was that hopefully with more gadgets in the general field of portable internet surfing devices, corporate execs would not feel the need to pull the plug on projects like the 770, and that hopefully they'd feel the impetus to put more resources into further development.