My Life Online (Mylo) was a device created and marketed by Sony for portable instant messaging and other Internet-based communications, browsing Internet web sites using the

Opera web browser Opera is a multi-platform web browser developed by its namesake company Opera. The browser is based on Chromium, but distinguishes itself from other Chromium-based browsers ( Chrome, Edge, etc.) through its user interface and other features. ...

and playback and sharing of media files. The pocket-sized, tablet-shaped handheld device, which debuted in 2006, had a screen which slid up to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. The brand name 'Mylo' means My Life Online. Using

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio waves ...

instead of cellular networks, the Mylo was targeted to the 18–24 age group. By using WiFi networks for Internet connectivity, Mylo provided users with the possibility of reducing connectivity costs by avoiding the necessity of using

GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...

CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...

or 3G cellular networks which would usually be used for devices of this size and functionality.

History and design

;Mylo COM–1 The first version of the Sony mylo was launched on September 15, 2006 and includes 1 GB of onboard flash memory and a

Memory Stick PRO Duo The Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, originally launched by Sony in late 1998. In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and ...

expansion slot. The mylo is 23.9 mm (31/32 in) thick, 123 mm (4⅞ in) wide, 63 mm (2½ in) tall, and sports a 6.1 cm (2.4 in) QVGA (320 × 240) LCD screen. Its form factor is similar to the T-Mobile Sidekick in that it is held in landscape mode and has a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Its initial model colors were a glossy black and white. ;Mylo COM–2 On January 6, 2008, the second edition of the Sony mylo was announced at CES 2008 in Las Vegas. This version was based on PSP technology and included AIM, a touchscreen, and a camera. The Internet Browser was changed from

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

to NetFront. It supported Adobe Flash for viewing Flash content such as

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

videos and for playing Flash-based games. The mylo COM–2 had 1 GB flash memory that could be used for music and video playback.SonyStyle.com , Sony , mylo Internet Device COM-2WHITE
/ref> Two colors were available: black and white. The mylo COM–2 featured wireless G connectivity. The keyboard was backlit as well. System software version 1.201 added support for video recording. The mylo COM–2 was released on SonyStyle.com on January 25, 2008 for $299. It was reduced to $199 before the holiday season and was quickly drawn from production due to its poor sales.

Software

The mylo's menu of software applications is grouped by function. ;Communication The following applications in the main menu group use the Wi-Fi connection: *AIM. AOL Instant Messenger (COM–2 only) *Skype. Includes the features: Dial (Skype to phone), Call (Skype to Skype), Chat (instant messaging), and Send (and Receive) Files. Also can receive (phone to Skype). *Google Talk. Features text chats (instant messaging) with

Google Talk Google Talk was an Instant messaging, instant messaging service that provided both text and voice communication. The instant messaging service was variously referred to colloquially as Gchat, Gtalk, or Gmessage among its users. Google Talk was ...

and

XMPP Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP, originally named Jabber) is an open communication protocol designed for instant messaging (IM), presence information, and contact list maintenance. Based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), i ...

contacts. Included is a link to

Gmail Gmail is a free email service provided by Google. As of 2019, it had 1.5 billion active users worldwide. A user typically accesses Gmail in a web browser or the official mobile app. Google also supports the use of email clients via the POP and ...

(

WAP WAP or Wap may refer to: Music * "WAP" (song), a 2020 song by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion Organizations * Weatherization Assistance Program, for US energy costs * Western Australia Party, a political party founded in 2016 * Western A ...

version). *Yahoo! Messenger. The text messaging application also includes a link to Yahoo! Mail (WAP version). *Ad Hoc Application. This

Peer-to-peer Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer ...

lets the mylo share playlists and stream songs directly to another mylo. *Cannot be used natively for sending or receiving text (SMS) messages to or from cell phones; it is strictly for messenger and web only. ;Web COM–1. The

web browser allows a number of configurations to help minimize the limitations of the small screen (320x240) including Zoom (%), Text Size (Small, Normal, Large) and View Mode (Normal or Fit to Screen). COM–2. NetFront with support for Flash Lite is the web browser that is supplied with the mylo COM–2. ;Media COM–1. The player supports the MP3, WMA (secured and unsecured) and ATRAC 3 audio formats. The image viewer supports JPG, PNG, and Bitmap formats. The video player supports the MPEG-4/AAC video format. The text application is a simple text editor. COM–2. The player supports the MP3, WMA (secured and unsecured), AAC (no DRM) and ATRAC3 formats. The image viewers supports JPEG, PNG and BMP formats. The video player supports the MPEG-4/AAC Simple Profile and MPEG-4/AAC AVC H.264 baseline profile. It also supports WMV starting with firmware version 1.101, which was released in April 2008. On both models DRM content in Windows Media Audio and Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding 3 is limited to the internal 1GB memory. DRM playback is not possible via Memory Stick as Magic Gate is not available and Windows Media DRM is not currently possible on Memory Sticks. ;Tools * The utilities in this menu group include the Connection Manager for managing the Wi-Fi configuration, a File Manager, a firmware System Update tool.

Connectivity

With the USB mode configuration set to the default (MSC) the mylo acts as a USB mass-storage device. Music and other files can then be transferred from a PC with the included SonicStage software or by dragging and dropping using a file manager. With the USB mode set to MTP you can synchronize audio files via

WMP Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player (application software), media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing sound reproduction, audio, video and viewing images on personal computers runnin ...

10. While connected via USB, the mylo screen displays the USB mode currently in use and suspends whatever program had been running. The 802.11b Wi-Fi connection is started either with the Wireless LAN slider button or automatically when one of mylo's Internet applications (i.e., Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, Opera) attempt to access the network and an infrastructure mode Wi-Fi connection has not yet been established. The Wi-Fi mode can be switched to Ad Hoc mode to enable use of the Ad Hoc Application. Although the device is marketed for persons on the go, the Mylo does not have any commonly used

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...

capabilities, to provide easy connection with other wireless carrier enabled mobile devices. Owners of the COM-1 model receive access to any T-Mobile Hotspot for the first year. Owners of the COM–2 model receive access to over 10,000 Wayport Hotspot locations nationwide, through December 31, 2010. Over 9,000 of these locations are McDonald's restaurants.

Mylo models

Specifications

Processor: Freescale i.MX21 (for the COM–1)Welcome to Freescale Semiconductor - News Release
/ref> As a device, the mylo COM– 1 sports a 2.4-inch 320 by 240 LCD display, 400 MB for flash memory (upgradable to 4 GB), mini-USB connectivity, a Memory Stick Duo slot, integrated 802.11b wireless networking (supporting WEP and WPA-PSK security), and a lithium-ion battery offering up to 45 hours of music playback, 8 hours of video time, and up to 76 hours of VoIP talk time. Add to that a DC input for charging or running "wired" with the AC adapter, a 10-pin headphone/microphone interface (an adapter is included), a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for composing messages, and a total weight of about 157 grams (5.4 ounces), including the battery.

References

External links

Sony mylo Review
With Video Demo
Sony mylo Video Encoding Guide
Using Free PSPvideo9

Sony Mylo COM2 review

hardware details published in Japanese by the developers.

is available. {{Dedicated video game handheld consoles Sony consoles Sony products Information appliances Linux-based devices Embedded Linux Linux-based video game consoles ARM-based video game consoles