We've
had our eye on the
Pioneer Inno and
Samsung Helix combination DAP/XM2go receivers ever since they were
announced at CES, and although the devices certainly looked to have a winning combination of features, we had several
concerns that we were eager to see addressed in a hands-on. Well our wait is over, as a fairly gushing, and very
thorough, review of the Inno by satellite radio enthusiast site Orbitcast has allayed all of our fears, and convinced
us that the Inno, which both plays and records XM streams as well as handling your MP3's, is really as hot as the specs
make it sound. Orbitcast is particularly impressed with the ease of managing content on the device, with powerful search
functions, automatic track separation (when recording streams), and intuitive controls helping Inno achieve that
delicate balance of features and simplicity. With reception actually better than older XM2go models, pretty decent
battery life, excellent stock earbuds, and improved playback control, the only downside here seems to be the way in
which the Inno partitions its memory: during the initial setup you must choose from only two configurations -- 100%
storage devoted to XM content or a 50/50 split between XM and your own tracks -- and if you want to switch modes at a
later date, your entire library of recorded swag gets wiped.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted Apr 6th 2006 9:00AM
"Gushing" doesn't even begin to describe it. I'm completely in love with this thing. :)
I´m in love.... very nice review!!
Wow, sirius should have saved that $500 million on stern and tried developing a radio thats not portable and the size of a mac truck compared to a device like this.
i meant to say that is portable and not the size of a truck
As mentioned in another thread, the Inno and Helix have an improved antenna that improves the reception by 3dB. Yes, 3dB. That's doubling the reception quality over the first generation. I hear the difference is night and day.
Not only does Orbitcast have a detailed review of the new Inno, but it also has a full slate of pictures and a video demo of the functionality.
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/pioneer-inno-xm2go-orbitcast-review.html
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/pioneer-inno-xm2go-hands-on-photos.html
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/video-hands-on-with-the-pioneer-inno.html
"and if you want to switch modes at a later date, your entire library of recorded swag gets wiped."
Regarding this statement: The reason for this is quite simply because of DRM (Digital Rights Management). XM was forced to incorporate DRM into the designs to appease the RIAA.
When you record music onto the device, you are in a sense "renting it" for as long as you remain a subscriber. If you cancel your subscription, when the player does not get the license refresh signal after 30 days, it will erase all the XM recorded material. It will not effect any songs that you download onto the player from your computer, since you own those.
I do believe that this is how XM accomplished this, by designing the DRM to be formatted into the memory for when you set it up for 100% or 50% XM recordability. So if your subscription has ended and the license isn't refreshed by the satellites, the XM portion of the memory is wiped.
I have xm in my car and the sound quality is poor due to the low bit rate of the signal. Does this portable suffer from the same fate?
CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO HIT THE STORES! looks amazing....a revolutionary way to listen to music!
Grrr!!
Looks like a great device! Real trendsetters, those XM folks!
RAMOOOOON, bring me an Inno!
i love the look of this player but i am not into satalite radio. is there a model without the radio?
So wich item is better Samsung helix or Pioneer inno.? Wich would you suggest
I hate to bust up this inno-loving circle jerk but I hear that if you want to put the Inno in your pocket and walk around, the reception barely works. You either have to carry it around in your hand or restrict yourself to a specific pair of headphones with an antenna in the headband. As much as I love XM and as much as I love the functionality they put into the inno, I want to be able to put the thing in my pocket and not be forced to wear a specific set of headphones (especially when the ear buds that are provided give good sound quality and don't make me look like an ass). I'll wait for 3rd generation.