Sony Mylo Built On Qtopia Linux

Filed in archive Devices on August 30, 2006

Linux Powers the new Sony's Mylo WiFi Handheld. Built on Trolltech's Qtopia platform on Linux, unlike any other mobile device Sony has made.

There's a lot of software available for Qtopia as well, which could be a big plus for Mylo users. That is if Sony opens up the system. Sony may have chosen to make mylo a closed system. Closed means users won't be able to load third-party software and open means they will. As Brighthand points out, however, there is a community of developers and hackers who modify Linux devices for fun, sometimes to make them better for users, other times to push the envelope of what can be done; such as loading Linux onto a Treo 650. So if Sony doesn't enable users to load third party software out-of-the-box, perhaps one of these guys will create a hack to allow users to do so down the road.
With Mylo, user can send instant messages via Google Talk, Skype or Yahoo! Messenger accounts - all free, no monthly fees involved. It omits the most popular IM client of all, AIM from AOL, as well as MSN. It can handle voice-over IP calls using Skype as well. The battery supposedly runs for 45 hours of music playback, seven hours when online, or three hours when talking with Skype. Microphone, headphones, USB cable and a neoprene case are all included. There's no camera. It'll sell for $350 starting in September.