Sony launches Wireless Device for Instant Messaging

In a move to take advantage of the growth of wireless networks across college campuses, other public spaces and within homes, Sony Corp. today unveiled a wireless-enabled, handheld device for instant messaging and other Internet-based communications.

The new pocket-sized gadget is aimed at young people who use instant messaging (IM).

The wireless device, called the mylo, which stands for "my life online", will sell for about $350 (£183), and will only be available in the United States in September.

The mylo has a 6-centimetre display and slides open to expose a thumb keyboard, and it is specifically pitched at the young, mainstream market that use IM and are interested in making net telephone calls, commonly known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls.

The Sony mylo, which is a first-of-its-kind product that uses Wi-Fi networks, is not a mobile phone and thus there is no need for monthly contract or subscription. And though it could handle Web-based e-mail services, it does not support corporate e-mail programmes. As long as a Wi-Fi network is accessible, a mylo user could chat away or browse the Web.

The slim, oblong-shaped mylo will be marketed toward 18-to 24- years-olds, the multitasking generation that relies heavily on instant messaging and is already ranking e-mail as outdated, the consumer electronic giant, Sony said.

Sony has formed a partnership with Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. to integrate their instant-messaging services, and is seeking to expand mylo's support to other services as well, most notably the leading messaging provider, Time Warner Inc's America Online.

Sony has also developed an association with eBay Inc's Skype VoIP service, which offers free voice chats for its registered users.