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Sony Mylo: Or “My Life Online”
December 22, 2008
I received a Sony Mylo 2 personal communicator for review recently. Did you catch the name? Mylo stands for My Life Online. I totally love that! The Mylo communication is based on using WiFi rather than a “cell service” which means for you, there are no monthly bills and no expensive data plans that you become locked into. That is a huge bonus when you have so many other monthly bills related to your electronic world. It is not a cell phone, however it does work with Skype. I thought that was absolutely cool when I learned how to use that feature. It really is an awesome, portable electronic world that can go anywhere you can find WiFi.Not sure where you can find WiFi? No problem. Sony Mylo users receive free Wi-Fi access at over 10,000 Wayport Hotspot locations nationwide (and the Mylo even has a feature that will tell you where some of those hotspots are located! Cool, right?). It also includes over 9,000 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s® Restaurants, 70 IHOP restaurants, 600 hotels, and more. I was able to use mine at home with our home wireless router. I also took it to my sister’s house and used their wireless network. So, you have many options when it comes to getting logged online. It was like having my own mini computer that fit in my purse. And when I say I took that bad boy everywhere, I mean it went everywhere with me!
The Mylo has a full QWERTY keyboard and a great 800×480 pixel high resolution touch screen. It comes with a very hard to lose stylus. Why do I say hard to lose? It attaches to the wrist strap. The perfect way to keep track of those pesky things that I so easily use. This one I know I will keep track of and that is saying something right there! And? It was so easy to use right out of the box. That is a huge seller for me because as many gadgets as I have, I still need things to be easy to use right away or my frustration level keeps me from fully enjoying a device. No problem with the Sony Mylo. I was up and texting within minutes. Weighing only 7oz., it can goes every where with me. (And trust me, “stay at home moms” rarely stay at home!)
I was very impressed with it’s many features. I think the 1.3 megapixel camera was my favorite! Not only does it take a great picture, but you can upload and download images, it has photo editing software and my favorite thing is I can write on the pictures and then save them. Great for when you want to take a picture of your son NOT doing his homework, write a note on it to get started then send it to him while he is on the computer! (Not to mention drawing a mustache on the dog!) The Mylo has 1 gig of internal memory, a mini USB port and even expandable memory using a memory stick Duo/Duo Pro.
To test it, I did what I do with many electronics: I handed it over to my teenage son and told him to mess around and let me know what he likes about it, how easy it is to use and if I were to give it to him, would he want one. (Seriously, he knows so much more than I do and is not afraid to try everything out! Teenagers seems to have this gene I lack that gives them unlimited electronic gadget knowledge.) His verdict? He wanted to take mine. That is a definite thumbs up from him. (Any teenage approval with electronics is like 5 adult thumbs up, I believe.) My next test subject was my very overly electronic gadget collector (must have all of the latest and greatest) was my brother-in-law. I handed it over and told him to test it, play with it and do everything he can think of with it to see if it fell into his must have list. Again, it got not only his approval, but I had to steal it back. (He is still trying to get it back from me!)
That is two hard to please electronic “pros” that not only approved but tried to keep it for themselves.
Now, for me? After getting over the intimidation of “what if I mess something up” (you can’t, by the way), I began to have a blast with it.
I loved that it supports instant messaging. I admit it. I live online with messaging but really can’t always be on my computer. This way, I can be anywhere and still stay connected and gossip and network while using my Mylo. I love that! It has received plenty of use to the point of near obsession. With the Sony® mylo™ communicator you can always stay in touch. Instant Message your friends with the most popular messaging software from AOL®, Yahoo!®, Google™ and Skype®. Send and receive e-mail through AOL® Mail, Google Gmail™ and Yahoo!® Mail. And, with COM-2’s new backlit keyboard you can type wherever you want to regardless of how much light is available. (Which means in bed while the hubby sleeps and I don’t wake him up. Bonus!)Do you want to also store you music and videos in handy place? Mylo can do it! It comes with headphones and supportsIWindows Media DRM 10 and plays MP3, AAC, ATRAC or WMA files. The video support includes MPEG4 and MPEG4/AVC.
The Sony Mylo comes in black and white and currently retails for around $199.
My Final Verdict: I LOVE this little product. I have been using it nonstop since I received it and have no plans to let either my son or my brother-in-law steal it. (You either, just for the record.) If you are looking for a great hand-held “life online”, I highly recommend the Sony Mylo. Because you can’t have mine. I am most definitely not letting this sweet thing go! I am thrilled I have been able to test it out, play with it to the point of obsession and still not tire of it. Sony is a brand you can trust. I am a blogger you can trust. How can you go wrong? Trust us. The Sony Mylo is great gift for someone you love– and especially for yourself. You will be glad you got one! I certainly am!
