The Sony mylo's first street review

While the Sony mylo isn't really meant for your lap (we envision it as more of a dual-handed device -- or, erm, "dual-core," if you will), Laptop nonetheless decided to take 'er for a spin -- one of the first in-the-wild reviews that we've seen since our recent unboxing. The verdict? It's a cute little curvaceous piece of hardware that does what it advertises -- you can surf the web, Skype, IM, and play back media from it all with ease (they even claim it plays back WMA "secure", i.e. PlaysForSure, which we somehow highly doubt). But the mylo isn't the be-all Sidekick killer that Sony would surely like it to be. The magazine described the keyboard as too small and cramped for their liking and added that the mylo didn't handle all web pages perfectly (specifically the image-heavy MySpace, whose denizens Sony is aiming at) on its 2.4-inch display. This led us to wonder if we'll start seeing mylo-friendly webpages in the near future, but nevertheless, we still think Engadget looks best on the biggest screen in your house.

[Jon A. @ Sep 9th 2006 3:45AM]

Does MySpace look good to anyone on any web browser? It doesn't to me.

[LazyMegaMan @ Sep 9th 2006 4:51AM]

Myspace doesn't look good PERIOD. Silly script-kiddies with their "mad HTML skillz" and "1337 javascript". I'm not saying I'm any better at either HTML or Javascript (I'm a C++ man myself), but they simply overdo it. Poor kids...

[pauls @ Sep 9th 2006 5:37AM]

why doesn't my psp do this? shouldn't it? i'm sick of that stupid browser out of memory crap. if it actually worked as it seemingly should, i guess sony wouldn't be able to makret this as well. now i see...

[Taylor @ Sep 9th 2006 8:40AM]

I so agree. MySpace just... sucks. Full of photos and crap, and the bright colored pink-on-pink writing with LOLOLLOPLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL... it doesn't look good on ANY browser.

I guess if in their opinion it doesnt' look good, then in teen's minds it will.

[Deluxe @ Sep 9th 2006 9:05AM]

I didn't realise MySpace looked good in *any* browser.

[Jason @ Sep 9th 2006 9:09AM]

I agree. MySpace doesn't look good on any browser. I prefer something like Bebo with a standard template, etc.

[Kspraydad @ Sep 9th 2006 9:15AM]

According to Amazon.com's preorder page for the Mylo it DOES play WMA SECURED.

Who is right?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Personal-Communicator-COM-1-White/dp/B000HAS406/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_0/102-3426832-1712967?ie=UTF8

[Kspraydad @ Sep 9th 2006 9:24AM]

Ok...just did more checking (fact checking???)

Sony's own SonyStyle site shows that the MYLO will play WMA Secured and Unsecured.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=COM1WHITE

[D2 @ Sep 9th 2006 11:01AM]

"nevertheless, we still think Engadget looks best on the biggest screen in your house."

one of the more absurd things ive read here in a while...

You can really see how well Engadget designers have optimized the site for large widescreen displays. Im continuously amazed by the wealth of information on each page. I mean really, what would i do without the dedicated links to
EnronBlog, WalMart bloggingstocks, and PSPfanboy on each page?

http://www.photoshopblog.net/2006/05/14/engadgetcom-a-visual-breakdown/

[Garman @ Sep 9th 2006 11:21AM]

Enough about M*sp*c* already. I think the think I find most intriguing is the similarity in looks to the prototype UMPC in the following video from umpc.com

http://umpc.com/VideoUMPC.aspx

[Andrey @ Sep 9th 2006 12:37PM]

Well, "MYLO" translates as SOAP in Russian, it does look like a soap bar too:) So I don't expect it to be popular there... To me it just looks plain ugly, maybe designed for kids 7-14 years old...

[Cody S. @ Sep 9th 2006 12:43PM]

I played with one at the sony style store. The lights on the side are very cool. I didn't think the keys were that hard to push. Black one is definently easier to see the keys though.

[Mike @ Sep 9th 2006 12:57PM]

If you look at one of the myloforums.net videos on youtube, it shows how there are a bunch of different ways to view webpages. You can look in standard mode, choose to have it "fit to screen" or zoom in at any specified amount betweeen 0 1nd 150%.

I was skeptical about this thing at first, but I'm now going to grab a black one on release date, this thing looks like the ultimate gadget.

[jacks @ Sep 9th 2006 2:13PM]

this product remind me with dopod 900 :D ... maybe i'll consider it to be my next gadget :D

[tiuk @ Sep 9th 2006 4:39PM]

If it were open to homebrew I'd be all over it.

[Mike @ Sep 9th 2006 4:46PM]

I bet there will be homebrew on this soon enough

[teo @ Sep 9th 2006 8:27PM]

Is it just me, or is anyone else wondering why they couldn't cram one more feature in there, like GSM phone support?

[sfeng1 @ Sep 9th 2006 9:45PM]

homebrew? on 2mb of ram? good luck.

[Oddmanout @ Sep 9th 2006 11:14PM]

"...this thing looks like the ultimate gadget."

How ? Not to take anyones opinion away from them (if the original poster is happy with one of these, more power to them) but I just don't get how this is superior to a PDA like a Dell Axim x50v/x51v.

With an Axim you have wifi and bluetooth, but also a CF slot, so not only can you add massive amounts of storage space you can access the web/networks (and thereby Skype/VOIP of choice) via anything they make a card for (Ethernet, Modem, Cellular data service...). Consider that it also has an SDIO capable SD slot so you could easily add even more storage, or a camera.

Not to mention GPS...

I'll admit, I'm a die hard when it comes to having a physical keyboard, so that is a very apealing feature of the mylo. But there is also a snap on keyboard available for the Axim for as little as $20.

And as far as software goes...I think it's a safe bet the WinMobile 2003/5.0 library is a bit more extensive and excessible than the Mylo's will be. Well in the retail software market anyway. Sounds like this thing's OS is pretty similar to the Sharp Zaurus's, so many of those apps can likely be mangled into the Mylo, and more homebrew can be purpose built, but it is still easiet to find the kind of software most consumers might want for a Pocket PC than it is for a Z...you just have to pay for it...

Oh yeah, speaking of cost, buying and tricking out an Axim to have it's capabilites be equal or superior to a Mylo would cost less than $350.

Just my opinion...

[sfeng1 @ Sep 12th 2006 1:15AM]

i really don't understand why this isn't sinking in yet:

"Available capacity of the 1MB memory is 940KB."

http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/computer_peripheral/release/24061.html

[Mikey @ Sep 18th 2006 5:26AM]

I still like my nokia 770.

[Allen M @ Oct 13th 2006 2:43PM]

Well I just sold my Laptop for this device, It was a good laptop with all the bells, I hated my laptop, hard to tote this big old laptop into the coffee shop with out feeling like a babysitter. It was like a ball and chain. Now I am free I can use my skype account to make free call till the end of the year and check my gmail. I still like computers, I just will have a desktop at home with linux xp on it witch is free and sweet. Back to mylo, sweet, way small, half the size of the psp, very nice. People say well the keyboard is to small, I think it is just right, pocket size, No Winblows os, Very nice. Good job Sony. One thing I did not like about sony is the price is high, and they could have made the psp do all of this and saved me alot of money. Now I know why there is no keyboard and will never be a keyboard for the psp. The Mylo killed it. So I have my psp for games, and my mylo for the rest. no more laptop. Thank god. Allen Portland Or

[Its me Jesus @ Oct 13th 2006 3:18PM]

Well, I tried one on the sonystyle store. Its was sick with all the curves it has. Display looked gorgeous. So Ill buy one.

[marty @ Mar 12th 2007 7:45PM]

Who cares what the screen looks like on myspace - can you navigate on myspace is what I want to know. Upload pix, message, post comments, see who's online....anyone know?

[marty @ Mar 12th 2007 7:47PM]

Who cares what the screen looks like on myspace - can you navigate on myspace is what I want to know. Upload pix, message, post comments, see who's online....anyone know?

[S.k-creator @ Apr 11th 2007 8:45PM]

lol Same as on this http://InDeNt4HeAd.bebo.com