Product Description

Enjoy your favorite online activities right under your thumbs. The mylo (My Life Online) personal communicator lets you stay connected with your friends from just about anywhere with instant messaging, web browsing, music, pictures and videos-all concentrated in the palm of your hand. All you need to do is connect to an open WiFi hotspot and you can, browse the web with the built-in HTML web browser. With the built-in Skype software you can reach out to any Skype user on any Skype-enabled device and talk for free. Mylo is also a music player that allows you to share your playlists and stream songs between two mylo devices. The mylo communicator features a full QWERTY keyboard, a vivid colorful screen and no monthly service fees, allowing you to IM, chat and share with your friends nonstop.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1598 in Personal Computers
• Color: White
• Brand: Sony
• Model: COM1WHITE
• Platform: No Operating System
• Native resolution: 320x240
• Display size: 2.4

Features

• Ultra-portable, Wi-Fi-enabled personal communicator and multimedia player in white
• Access e-mail, browse the Web, and make Skype VOIP internet phone calls
• Reach friends on three instant messaging services--Yahoo!, Google, and Skype
• MP3, ATRAC, WMA (secure) audio, MPEG4 video, JPEG photo playback
• 2.4-inch LCD display (320 x 240 resolution), slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Memory Stick PRO Duo slot

Amazon.com Product Description
Stay in touch with all your IM and e-mail contacts without having to lug around a laptop wit h the lightweight, wireless Sony mylo Personal Communicator COM-1, which also offers multimedia play back and VOIP Internet telephony capabilities. The mylo COM-1 enables you to use Wi-Fi (802.11b) con nections found in your home, on your school campus, and at a variety hotspot locations to send e-mai l, chat across multiple IM conversations, and browse the Web. While it doesn't communicate via cellu lar networks, you can use the built-in Skype VOIP (voice over IP) software to make phone calls over the Internet via the integrated microphone or the included external mic. This model comes in white w ith an orange keyboard, but it also comes in black with a gray keyboard.

The mylo COM-1 has 1 GB of flash memory, a 2.4-inch LCD display with a 320 x 240-pixel resolution (Q VGA), slide-out QWERTY keyboard that's easy to operate, an embedded microphone and speaker, Memory S tick slot (PRO Duo) slot, and USB 2.0 port for connectivity to your PC and for charging the battery. The lithium-ion rechargeable battery provides up to 3.5 hours of Internet calling talk time, up to 7 hours web browsing, and up to 45 hours of music playback.

The What's Up screen provides an at-a-glance overview of your circle of friends, showing who's avail able for IM or Voice calling, and it displays what music is currently being played. You can easily c ontrol music playback without sliding open the keyboard using the handy music keys next to the LCD ( play/stop/rewind/forward).

Communication and Connectivity
Reach friends using three of the fastest-growing instant messaging services--Yahoo!, Google and Skyp e--and use the Info button on the mylo COM-1's face to switch among multiple IM conversations. And w ith the built-in Skype software, you can enjoy free Internet phone calls to and from any Skype-enabl ed device, anywhere in the world (or SkypeOut to any phone number for a nominal fee.

Sony has partnered with Google's GMail and Yahoo! to provide easy access to on-the-go email. The sli de-out QWERTY keyboard means you can type without the hassle of the repeated key-presses you'd need on the number keypad of a typical mobile device. The mylo COM-1 also enables you to browse virtually any Web site (via the built-in Opera browser)--allowing you to scroll horizontally and vertically t hrough the page, fit to the QVGA width of the screen, zoom in to display web pages at full resolutio n, or zoom out to fit pages to the width of the screen. Mylo communicator's Web browser renders ful l HTML--not truncated WAP pages like browsers found on many cell phones and portable internet device s.

There are millions of WiFi hotspots including over 15 million American homes, almost every universit y campus, plus shopping malls, coffee shops, fast food restaurants, hotels, airports and border-to-b order coverage in a growing number of U.S. cities. Enter your current location and the mylo COM-1 wi ll direct you to the nearest of over 20,000 free and pay public hotspots in the U.S.

Multimedia
In addition to powerful communication features, the mylo COM-1 also provides a wide variety of digit al audio, video, and photo playback. Offering compatibility with MP3, WMA (Secured and Un-Secured) a nd ATRAC formats, you'll be able to play music you've purchased from many online music stores. You'l l also be able to watch MPEG4 video transferred to an optional Memory Stick Duo or saved to the 1 GB memory after processing on your PC using the optional Image Converter 2 software. You can also down load and view hundreds of JPEG pictures from the Internet or from your digital camera. Transfer is e asy using the supplied Mylo Image Transfer software, via drag and drop from your PC desktop, or onto saved to an optional Memory Stick Duo media card.

You can also connect to other nearby mylo COM-1 devices using a device-to-device ad-hoc network, ena bling you to listen to streaming music and transfer data files wirelessly.

Note About Connectivity
The mylo Personal Communicator COM-1 requires a compatible wireless LAN access point to use the inte ractive IM, email, and Web features. It generally requires no additional monthly service charges as long as you are connected to free access points found in homes, cafes, businesses, and campuses. How ever, some access points and features may rely on Internet services which may require a fee.

What's in the Box
Sony mylo Personal Communicator COM-1 (orange), stereo headphones, external microphone, carry case, USB 2.0 cable, printed operating instructions.

Customer Reviews

Has GREAT Potential
I hate the phone companies so much I puchased a Mylo in hopes to replace my cell phone. I guess WiFi is not as ubiquitous as I thought in LA. It works well once it's sync up with a WiFi connection but it takes effort to find a "hotspot", especially a free hotspot. Note that McDonalds and Starbucks charge an unreasonable fee to connect to the web and not worth the expense; borrowing signal from unsuspecting neighbors can be hit or miss, that is if they don't secure their WiFi modems. Some examples of free hotspots are Apple Stores, Whole Foods Grocery Markets and Panera Cafes. The phone comes with a hotspot data base which is easily updated with either a Mac or PC. When the USB is plugged in, it acts like a external drive and things are pretty straight foward. You just drag and drop files.

The unit itself is surprisingly small and easily fits in the palm of you hand, it's slightly larger than a typical cell phone, however the screen is large and clear enough to see video and pictures but is a little cumbersome to navagate around a web page. Another thing about the screen, it's nice and bright when viewing indoors but very difficult to see when you're out in the sun light. It should be good enough for IM and Chat functions. The keyboard, at least for me I have to use my index finger nails, hunt and peck method. I've used it with Skype and it works fine. The audio is bright and clear when using it like a phone. The earbuds/mic oddly comes in two separate cords and the audio is very acceptable. The first cord has a special plug for the Mylo and the second cord plugs into the first cord and is a typical earbud set-up.

Here are some suggestions for improvements. I know that size is personal matter but I think the optimal size would be the size and thinness of my HP Scientific Calculator. It think Sony gave up too much in screen size to navigate web pages easily. A larger unit means you can navigate the keyboard with you thumbs, like a Crackberry and you can use full sized USB plugs instead of expensive propritary equipment. Also, if they can make a unit with better WiFi reception, I noticed when I had a laptop, the reception was better.

I gave Mylo 4 stars because Sony gave a good effort and was to first to come out with a Skype Phone. Belkin claims to be the first but as of this date Belkin still hasn't released their phone yet. Besides the early reviews claim the audio quality of the Mylo is superior to the Belkin and the Netgear WiFi phones.

Cool EXPENSIVE Toy
If you're looking for an Ipod Nano that can connect to the internet and send email, as well as watch video and view photos, then this is the device for you.

I decided to get one after loosing my Ipod to an accident. It has a nice picture, the sound quality is great, and the video quality is fantastic.

But it's not a cell phone replacement by any means. Without a WiFi connection, you can't communicate with anything but maybe someone with another Mylo. Plus, and this is very surprising, it will only connect to an 802.11B (or mixed) signal. It will show other networks (such as the faster "G" signaled WiFi networks), but if they're not the "B" type, then you won't connect. Also, it seems like the USB is only 1.0, not 2.0.

The way the menus are layed out is very similar to the PSP, another neat Sony product if you like gaming. That unit will also play video and audio, as well as cruise the web. But the Mylo has the advantage of a keyboard, so texting on it is much easier.

If only Sony could figure out how to bring this unit to market without having to spend an arm and a leg on it, then it might be a lot more popular. $349 is a tad bit steep for what it does offer. But the next time i'm stranded in an airport, it'll be much nicer passing the time watching a movie or surfing the web without using my cellular data minutes.

Cool, but really more of a fad
This device has a lot going for it. It has internet which allows for messaging, e-mail, and multimedia functionality all at the palms of your hand and easily accessable with a full QWERTY keyboard. Here are really the pros and cons of the device.

PROS:
-Bright screen
-Very portable
-Great looking device
-Good menu system
-Expansion slot
-Durable
-Great battery life
-Wi-Fi/E-mail
-Build-in microphone (also come with external mic in box)

CONS:
-Not a phone - don't be fooled by Skype, it's not as galmorous as it sounds and you NEED an internet connection to use it (for a little more you can get a Sidekick 3)
-Expansion is limited to Sony's propietary Memory Stick DUO
-Screen could be higher res (more colors too)
-Attracts fingerprints too easily
-No built-in camera
-No productivity programs (Word, Excel, etc.)

My biggest beef really was that it really isn't fully functional in any way, except maybe a multimedia player. The good battery life makes a pretty good MP3/video player replacement, especially with the cost of flash memory going down. But as an internet device, only at hot spots. As a phone, only at hotspots. As a PDA, no productivity pack or Windows Mobile 5.

BOTTOM LINE: Get a Sidekick 3, or wait until the next generation comes out.