Well, bet you didn't see this coming. Looks like Sony just unveiled a brand new media player/blackberry unit. Looks like a PSP-style gizmo that does all sorts of things. I'm certainly not sold on it, but it looks interesting enough for me to post it, here's the article:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/wireless/sony-mylo-media-player-with-wifi-skype-browser-and-messaging-192676.phpAnd here's a picture of it:
Doesn't this look a lot like a cross between a PSP and an iPod to you?
Looks like a good type of device, in that it puts lots of stuff into one little package, but I also have to say it looks STUPID.
Popout keyboard is good, but... surrounding it with multi-coloured plastic circle decorations?!
It looks like a first-gen GameBoy Advance. Even has a giant SONY written right below the screen in case anyone forgets, clearly visible holes for a wrist strap, a ridiculous dent where I'm assuming the microphone is placed, and giant protruding switches.
Sony, in my opinion, has fallen asleep when it comes to the appearance of their stuff. The PS3 seems to prove that, and this... well, why would you style a serious and featureful device - probably costing more than a perfectly good (better looking and undoubtedly more customizeable) PDA or Pocket PC - like a disposable children's toy?
I think a sharper, flatter design would be much better.
It's the style these days, anyway; especially with handheld things :)
And besides all that, they could be pioneering the MessagEase keyboard in portable devices.
Much better solution than cramming a Qwerty layout on there, since it makes for bigger keys.
It's odd at first, but really very intuitive; it is a sort of a mix between a gesture system and a standard keyboard, with 9 buttons containing a bunch of possible letters which are triggered when the user clicks the appropriate button and drags in the direction of the appropriate letter.
Edit:
And, aside from MPeg-4 playback and visual web browsing, My DS could do that stuff... to an extent. Seeing as the equipment to do that (minus the fancy interface) costs far less than a Mylo, I don't think I'm going to bother.
Heh, Moonshell/DSOrganize is miles ahead of these things!
I do hope the trend of making devices like this do everything outlasts the trend of making cell phones do everything.
Random comment #3:
The idea of Mylos broadcasting to other Mylos is not as good a feature as it sounds, by the way.
Nobody will ever be able to use it because, like Nintendo's local multiplayer stuff, it would require (err... speculating here, but almost undoubtedly) both people to be magically thinking the same thing at the same place at the same time. It would only be interesting if they have not noticed eachother.
That slide-out keyboard looks designed to kill your wrists....
It's too large a multi-media unit, iPod will trounce this thing any day.
Looks like a quick mock-up though, they used some of the PSP icons.
Yeah, this and the PS3, as well as the UMD Movie idea for the PSP are making a lot of people lose a lot of faith big time in Sony. I mean, Sony used to set the standards, that was good, until now when they pull this junk that they've done over the past couple of years. Seems like Sony'll probably tank this time around, I mean, nobody'll fall for Blue Ray, since HD-DVD is far cheaper, higher quality, and will probably win out. Plus, you can easily download from Vongo or MovieLink from a movie, shrink it into a WMV, and port it to a portable media player or Pocket PC/Smartphone, and watch a movie or TV show on the road with that. IMHO, Sony's gone far too far in this day in age, and they better clean up their ego VERY soon, which may happen when nobody buys a PS3 or this Mylo junk.
OT: Regardin HD-DVD/Blu-Ray, think there's anychance of publishers using the format as a means of large storage space, rather then a higher image resolution?
I'd buy me an HD-DVD right away if I heard word of my fav TV series coming home on a single disc.
(hate having to swap 3-6 DVD discs for my show season collections)
Sorry Genexi, that would make too much sense to ever happen more than a few times...