Sony says teenagers get more go on Mylo

They can text message at the speed of light and hold online chat sessions with several people at once. Teenagers constitute a dream market for gadget makers. They adopt technology quickly, use it extensively and if you appeal to them early, they'll keep buying your products for years to come.

Mylo, the name of Sony's new gadget, supposedly stands for "my life online" and is aimed squarely at the multi-tasking generation.

It's primarily an instant-messaging terminal that supports messaging services from Google, Yahoo and Skype and is looking to add several more. It's also wi-fi capable so can be used to access the internet via its Opera web browser when connected at wireless hotspots. The 2.4 inch colour screen also displays media stored on the device, such as photos and contact details.

It's the type of device I'd hoped Sony's PSP would be - one you can carry around to play games, music, and connect to the web to check email, chat and make internet calls. The PSP is too focused on gaming to serve those other uses well. The Mylo, weighing 150g, could be just the trick.

Its major innovation is that it will support internet calling services like Skype and Google Talk. Such services are very attractive as they allow free computer-to-computer calling.

The interesting thing about the Mylo is that it is not a mobile phone. This could well spell the difference between its success and failure. While the youth market here is currently fixated on text-messaging and the bulk text deals on offer, the Mylo connects over wi-fi networks rather than the mobile network.

Sony is betting on the fact that wireless networks are now pervasive enough in places where youths hang out: schools, university campuses, at home, in coffee shops and libraries. The nice thing about the Mylo is that there's no monthly subscription. The downside is that you have to find a wireless network to connect to and possibly pay for the privilege.

And are you really going to carry around a device that you can only use for communicating where wireless internet hotspots are available, plus carry your mobile phone? The Mylo is a very capable music player with 1GB of internal memory for songs, but has it the pulling power to compete with the iPod? I don't think so.

The other problem is that without the mobile phone companies subsidising the up-front cost of the Mylo in order to get people on to long-term phone contracts, the gadget will remain a relatively pricey buy - around US$350 (NZ$552).

The Mylo may prove to be a tad too far ahead of its time, especially for markets like ours, where wi-fi hotspots are a lot less pervasive than in the US and Europe, where free metropolitan wi-fi networks are springing up.

Still, I think it's a good idea and will be able to carve a niche for itself in the crowded consumer electronics market. Broadband users are increasingly installing wi-fi networks in their homes. If you have broadband and use a laptop as your primary computer, you should definitely go wireless. Imagine what the Mylo can do for people who have wireless networks at home and who work in city centres where wi-fi often blankets cafés and public areas. If you know enough people using Skype or Google Talk you could significantly cut down on mobile calls.