mylo launched
fresh from sony is mylo, which combines media player with wifi, skype, browser, and messaging, according to this gizmodo article. functionality wise, it’s pretty cool. just like a nice little clie (ok, not little) in a psp suit!
(original image from gizmodo)
it features 1GB of flash memory (+ MS Pro Duo slot), 2.4-inch LCD (320 x 240). so functionality wise, it’s not all that bad. it’s nothing so fantastically amazing but it’s ok. but really, i’m not sure what’s going on witn sony’s design department. sony’s been putting out all these really disappointingly unintersting looking products like
this mp3 player (ouch!)
and
this walkman mobile phone (err… boring!).
(original images from www.sonystyle.com)
sony used to be (and still is) well respected for their quality products and excellent design. i used to be a big fan (whose fondness was significant enough to spend most of her savings to purchase a sony silver flat-screen tv, which back then looked beautifully cutting-edge). well, ps2 wasn’t bad when it came out. it had a futuristic feel to it (hmm.. how long ago was that? about 6 years ago?). psp was slightly disappointing with no pleasant visual surprises or appeal. and such an unpleasant shock: they thought it was a great idea to recycle the psp design for mylo! wow. just what are they thinking?
samsung and lg have been working really hard to catch up and despite some design hiccups, they’ve been doing a pretty good job. if sony’s design department doesn’t wake up and realise how crucial it is to do something about it, i really don’t see how sony would be able to continue on. alvin toffler coined the now-ubiquitous term “prosumer.” consumers are no fools. i guess sony did know the importance of this power transition, as evidenced in their previous fantastic design efforts. but somewhere along the way - possibly when “prosumers” became “prousers” as axel bruns calls them - they lost the plot. seeing aesthetically pleasing things is great. i really hope that sony will smarten up and come up with more clever designs like they used to.
September 4th, 2006 at 9:53 am
Hey Jaz -
I am so impressed that you notice so much about the design of the products you buy! I tend to think ‘nya - I would have to figure out how to use it, I can’t be bothered’ and hope that, one day, I will be able to afford a ‘techincal personal assistant’ who will hook me up with all of the latest/coolest gadgets, do all of the annoying messing about that is necesarry to get them working/playing funky music AND make sure that I have them with me when I leave the house!
I wonder if its a genetic thing - some people have the motivated/curious gene and the rest of us ummm… missed out? :-P
September 7th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
well, you’ve just found your assistant - please take me with you to london… haha!
but i do think that you take notice of the aesthetic aspect of things. it’s pretty obvious in your consumption patterns especially in how you present yourself visually.