Sony Mylo Portable Instant Messaging Device
Don’t mistake the Sony Mylo (short for My Life Online) for an early messaging-focused cellphone like the Danger Hiptop (aka T-Mobile Sidekick). It was first and foremost a media player for digital videos and MP3s but with the addition of wifi connectivity and a sliding screen that revealed a full compact QWERTY keypad. Unlike the Hiptop, however, it had no cellular connectivity at all, and back in 2006, wifi hotspots weren’t exactly commonplace.
If you were lucky enough to find an internet connection, the $350 Mylo could be used to chat through Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger, surf the web using the Opera browser, and even make VoIP calls through Skype. Not requiring a mobile data plan to hop on the information superhighway was a compelling reason to opt for the Mylo, but after four years on the market, Sony quietly ushered it to the company’s expansive gadget graveyard.
