Say hello to my(lo) little friend

Did your T-Mobile Sidekick walk out on you? BlackBerry rotten? iPod just not enough for your "gotta-stay-connected" lifestyle? Then introduce yourself to mylo, Sony's new personal Internet device.

The mylo, which stands for "My Life Online," allows you to chat with friends via IM or voice, view photos and movies, listen to music, and surf the Web all from the palm of your hand. The device connects to the Internet via standard Wi-Fi connection so you can use it wherever wireless Internet is available.

The gadget looks a lot like Sony's Playstation Portable, but a little more compact. Actually, mylo bears a lot of resemblances to its bigger brother in more than just looks; they both let you watch videos, view photos and browse Web sites. The difference is mylo loses the abilities to play PSP games and watch UMD videos, but picks up the ability to IM with the ease of a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and the use of Skype software (a free service to make phone calls or voice chat over the Internet) while holding the device like a cell phone.

The mylo also uses Sony's Memory Stick system to store data. While it allows you to research information on an album with the touch of a button, you still can't access sites that let you buy music like iTunes, Rhapsody or Napster. Which to me, is the whole point of a wireless mp3 player; downloading new stuff on the go to keep you entertained.

While mylo looks handy and easy to use, you still have to be somewhere with Wi-Fi. So no using it while riding the subway, or on a road trip. At a pricey $349.95, and without a cell phone function, I'd rather use my latop.

For more info, check out mylo's site.