Sirius announces sleek new Sportster4 radio

To prove that there is still life in the world of consumer electronics outside of videogames and laptops, Sirius broke up today's monotony by announcing an updated version of their Sportster series of Plug and Play satellite radios with 44-minute buffers. The Sportster4, which is small enough to easily transport between home and car, maintains the same recording capacity and features as its predecessors, but adds a new vehicle dock that includes an auxiliary input for your MP3 player. Additional niceties include 30 presets, bundled remote, favorite artist alerts, and game reminders to keep you updated on score changes. Look for the Sportster4 later this month for around $170, with accessories like boombox docks soon to follow.

[Sean @ May 9th 2006 7:03PM]

But why still only 44 minutes? Couldn't they have found some way to beef up the storage? Maybe a gig like the S50?

[idude135 @ May 9th 2006 7:08PM]

Haha they should make a podcast and sell it or something like that.

[ET @ May 9th 2006 7:15PM]

Nice. Can't wait until the live portable!!

[Cloud @ May 9th 2006 7:34PM]

I haven't really gotten into the whole XM / sattelite radio thing. I like just using my mp3 player and not pay a monthy fee. If there wouldn't be a monthly fee on top of an expensive radio i'd be in.

[G Money @ May 9th 2006 7:36PM]

No one was into paying for cable TV in the 80's either.

[Nick @ May 9th 2006 7:39PM]

That's because we were stealing it, G Money. :)

[ariza @ May 9th 2006 7:47PM]

I wonder if you will be able to dim the backlight on this model.

The only thing that bugs me about Sirius radios is the bright backlight, its very disctracting at night even at the lowest setting.

I have the Starmate Replay by the way.

Sirius is awesome though, I love the 44min buffer on these radios.

[Cody @ May 9th 2006 7:51PM]

Congratualtions Sirius, you just released a unit that has been available for XM for 3 years. But don't worry, according to Howard, Sirius has the technology, they just aren't releasing it yet. Good thing XM has units the size of small cell phones that not only have a viable about of storage, but holy jeez, you can take them with you anywhere! Brand new technology from Sirius, and it still is the size of a brick and has a dot matrix screen.

[John @ May 9th 2006 7:58PM]

not only is this an overpriced piece of garbage much like the s50, the recording time is bogus, the screen is not color, it still is relatively large and Sirius does not have ground repeaters so their signal is dodgy at best if you have a good clear shot at the sky. I personally don't have a preference for either company, but it seems as though Sirius has chosen to pay out most of their money to secure talent that, as of present day, has failed to boost their subscriber base to the next level. I really think they should stop touting their talent and focus on building better units. The new Pioneer Inno for XM is LIGHTYEARS ahead of this and the s50.

[James @ May 9th 2006 8:10PM]

John - enlighten me if you would
Why do they need a color screen or an ultra tiny form factor? Satellite radio doesn't yet offer the ability to stream photos or cover art, and these things aren't vying for your organizer/PDA/GPS space. This unit isn't meant to be carried portably either.

[Arizona Glover @ May 9th 2006 8:13PM]

I just got a Sirius system and I really like it. The main reason I chose Sirius over XM is that Sirius has BBC Radio 1. Now if only you could get other BBC radio stations I would really have somthing to shout about.

[Finished.Law.School @ May 9th 2006 8:16PM]

RIAA will hobble this technology to the point of being useless...

[iband @ May 9th 2006 8:26PM]

The form factor is very similar to the XM RoadyXT, although a bit bigger with a large knob on it. While the RoadyXT is a low-end device (affordable), it lacks some of the time-shifting features of this new device -- the question is whether the additional cost is worth it. It is a nice looking unit. Of course, it's no Inno or Helix, which ROCK.

[Cody @ May 9th 2006 8:48PM]

XM has has the capability to display cover art, James.

[strider_mt2k @ May 9th 2006 9:00PM]

This "Ford/Chevy BS" is for the birds.
Run what you brung and enjoy for Pete's sake.

I like the way this radio looks alot.
I have a Starmate Replay now, and I'm considering another radio so I can leave it in my car.

The Starmate Replay Boom Cube is also cool.

[ET @ May 9th 2006 9:03PM]

John,

So the new XM units have voice assisted navigation? Oops! Gotchya. Well at least they have live reception, right?

/fanboi BTW, what's up with the gigantic channel logos on the XM Inno, etc? Huge! Couldn't they use that real estate more efficiently, like rotating sports scores on the S50? Too bad XM didn't use that new screen to innovate...instead, they just made it color and added channel logos. Hell it's even the same font. Lame. /fanboioff

[Johan S @ May 9th 2006 9:19PM]

Why can't they make it so you can buy music or radio shows right from the radio? Surely they can figure out a way of doing it (even if it means tagging the song for later purchase upon syncing to a PC or having a cell phone chip/deal with a cellular carrier that can help enables it). Even regular radio stations can do this. At the end of every song just announce a code or song name that a person can enter on the radio station's web site, so that songs can then be purchased off the web site or even via an SMS text message (for later download). Guess they'd need some sort of deal with Napster or Pressplay. This way radio stations get rewarded for playing good music and helps good musicians get airtime.

[judd sandage @ May 9th 2006 9:28PM]

John... you should get your facts before you go and post, Sirius does use ground based repeaters, and the talent thing is more important then the tech. yeah I just got this UBER cool XM radio that can do everthing including wash my dishes... but there isent anything I want to listen to they even dropped Dr. Demento, looks like he mabey avalable for Sirius now.

[Marc @ May 9th 2006 9:35PM]

I have had sirius for a while now. And it is amazing. Way better than xm is. I had xm for a couple of months and it had crappy reception. I hate regular radio so i decided to go to sirius and its so much better. The channels are pretty much the same although i do wish sirius had the baseball package but whatever.

I think the new sportster looks a lot better then the sportster replay. You can tell its a lot smaller and thinner. Yes xm had this idea years ago but whatever. Everyone copies off of eachother.

The 170 price tag is a little steep for a remake of another model that has the same technology in it but i will probably get it because i have the starmate replay and i didnt want it in the first place.

[Cody @ May 9th 2006 10:16PM]

Dr. Demento got yanked, oh darnit, what a bad business move... No no seriously, it's a good thing to spend more money than you make from subscribers in one year, on one personality.

-Judd Sandage: don't tell people to research their facts when you clearly haven't yourself. Sirius DOES NOT have ground based repeaters, they have three Space Systems/Lorel geosynchronized elliptical orbiting sattelites which is the main cause for time-reflective signal dropping, seeing as how at any point in time there may be only ONE sattelite over the United States. Sirius says that each sattelite spends only 16 hours a day over the country. XM has Three Boeing 702 Sattelites ("Rock" a.k.a. XM-1, "Roll" a.k.a. XM-2, and "Rhythym" a.k.a. XM-3) in a geostationary orbit with plans to launch "Blues" (XM-4) as soon as September of this year. Each sattelite spends 24 hours a day over the United States and Southern Canada. They also have a 5th sattelite ready to launch in less than a day should one fail.

Honestly, I encourage you to e-mail Sirius and querey as to the Groud Repeater issue. I guarantee that they will reply with a solid "no" when asked if they use such technology.

[Joe @ May 9th 2006 10:58PM]

ET,

Yes I'm feeding you, Mr Troll.

Voice command - yes XM offers this along with other advanced features such as video and parking locator, because they can due to their investment in technology which they keep in house, not outsourced like Sirius does.

Live reception - XM is on their 2nd generation of live portables. Sirius is still unable to compete there. They have no ground repeater network to make it work in cities where an unobstructed view of the sky is not possible, and their satellites move out of range over the course of the day making antenna aiming more difficult.

Color Display - you can choose a bunch of different things to display on the XM units like stock quotes and sports scores - this option has been there for years.

No matter how Howard Stern tries to spin it (the guy is a pro at deception - ever seen Private Parts??), Sirius is hurting very badly in the technology department, and their poor decisions from their onset are showing now. Why pay Half a Billion for one radio show (his other shows on the stations are worthless garbage) that nobody can easily hear? You can't even stream it through their online streaming service yet! Whenever I hear him talk about how great the technology at Sirius is I cringe because he is either flat out lying, or he pays no attention to what the other guys are doing.

I subscribe to both XM and Sirius (my wife wanted Sirius for Howie), and as a rock music fan, the music on XM is a lot better for my tastes - Sirius is like listening to what's on (or used to be on) FM without the commercials. Its corporate garbage. XM has the decency to go a bit deeper in their playlists to actually turn you on to new stuff and stuff you may have not heard.

[judd sandage @ May 9th 2006 11:04PM]

ok Cody then why do they have on all of there recivers sat and terrestial signal detection and ALL of the Directions for there radios talk about ground based repeaters in major markets??? and check out #7 on this list FROM THEIR SITE http://www.siriusradio.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=Page&cid=1018209032792

AGAIN do your research before complaining about someone NOT doing there own... a quick search on google turns op all kinds of good stuff :-)

[Coreyo @ May 9th 2006 11:20PM]

Yeah actually Cody and John you both should e-mail Sirius and get correct info. From howstuffworks.com "Unlike XM, Sirius does not use GEO satellites. Instead, its three SS/L-1300 satellites form an inclined elliptical satellite constellation. Sirius says the elliptical path of its satellite constellation ensures that each satellite spends about 16 hours a day over the continental United States, with at least one satellite over the country at all times. Sirius completed its three-satellite constellation on November 30, 2000. A fourth satellite will remain on the ground, ready to be launched if any of the three active satellites encounter transmission problems.

The Sirius system is similar to that of XM. Programs are beamed to one of the three Sirius satellites, which then transmits the signal to the ground, where your radio receiver picks up one of the channels within the signal. Signals are also be beamed to ground repeaters for listeners in urban areas where the satellite signal can be interrupted."....

[Stefan @ May 9th 2006 11:27PM]

I recently switched to Sirius from XM because of Howard. I do think that XM has better mobile/on-the-go products and service for now. But Sirius will catch up with the repeaters and technology.
#10 you don't think that

[Robert @ May 9th 2006 11:29PM]

In my Metro (Including Vancouver) Portland, OR XM has more repeater coverage and good sat coverage. I personaly like my XM Music chans. and don't care much about sports. I like the music, that's what I got it for.

I don't like the way Sirius seems to be letting the tech go. Sirius has the looks on it products but there all very similar to each other, even between XM and Sirius allot of the Car and Home kits are the same.

The main difference is the portable ones, XM had the first ones, Airware, MiFi, Tao. These all having 5 hour recording and live radio. Sirius throws out the S50, very good looking, but for a player that's not live, it costs way too much. XM now has the Pioner Inno, 50 hours of recorded or use some space for MP3 (With DRM) and it goes live, Sirius still hasn't updated.

Sure the Inno is not that amazing but its better then nothing...

[Stefan @ May 9th 2006 11:34PM]

#10 you don't think that less than 1 million subscribers little over a year ago to 4+ million subscribers today is a sizable jump in subscriptions?
In the end it will be content that wins subscriptions not technology. My two cents...

[ET @ May 9th 2006 11:36PM]

Joe,

Relax buddy. I subscribe to both XM and Sirius as well. I was just playing the fanboi role for a minute, mostly to illustrate how childish most are when it comes to XM vs Sirus, etc. I am a member of xm411.com/xmfan.com/siriusbackstage.com and post all the time on all sites. I find it hilarious how trolls come on the boards and try to one up the other service by tossing out nonsense about their chosen provider.

Me? I have both installed in my car and home. For talk, I chose Sirius (Stern, Jay Thomas, Maxim). Music, XM (jazz, dance, new age). I love satellite radio more than anything (Tivo is a close second) and I seem to be one of the few that realizes it's not XM vs Sirius, it's Satellite radio vs. terrestrial radio. I haven't listened to AM/FM since 2003 (when I got XM). Literally, I haven't listened to a song on that bs "Free FM" junk.

So anyhow, didn't mean to rile you or anyone else up. I was just pointing out that XM's equipment is not leaps and bounds ahead of Sirius'. Yes, they are on their 2nd generation of portables, but who really f-in cares? Sirius will have one in June, and the world will sing koom-bah-yah.

And as for fanbois, I was just tossing a little kerosene on their fire. What John said was riddled with inaccuracies, and I figured I'd stir it up a little since it makes me laugh.

Anyhow, off to bed. Stern at 6am is an early appt.

[Cody @ May 10th 2006 12:48AM]

I'll say it first, because I can't beleive nobody has yet. Stern Blows.

[ChillyWilly @ May 10th 2006 12:49AM]

Man, this XM vs. Sirius battle leaves a lot of wounds and scars.

While the technologu part of the XM seems to be moving forward more so than Sirius, at least in the handheld units, I have to give a lean towards Stefan in that it's content that will win over cooler equipment. That's always been the case for just about anything that has a format. I'm biased towards Sirius due to Howard, but I can tell you that if XM had Howard and it wasn't owned by Clear Channel (which is mostly the reason Howard is not on XM), i'd have XM.

But overall, I think these new radios will help those that need the technology factor satisfied.

[Matt M @ May 10th 2006 1:23AM]

Gorgeous new device, same crappy low contrast screen that fades as the device heats up. Way to go, SIRIUS.

[Dan @ May 10th 2006 3:08AM]

XM isn't owned by Clear Channel... They program 3 stations on it which are set to be replaced by XM's own in-house channels of the same genres.

This is because CC is going to begin playing commercials on their stations. They will consequently be moved much further down the dial out of all of the 100% commercial free music stations. XM still has the most 100% commercial free stations.

[Cody @ May 10th 2006 8:19AM]

-ChillyWilly

The reason Howard isn't on XM is because they know how to run a business properly. XM knows that the amount of money Howard was asking for was nowhere near what his services are worth. The fact is, and howard fans are so dellusional about it, Howard's carreer is at an end; he has nothing left to do but complain that everyone rips him off. Fact is, Howard isn't worth 100 million over 5 years let alone 500 million. Using the last reported subscriber base of 4 million, Sirius pulls in $621,600,000 per year in subscriber fees. Whoever had the bright idea to spend 1/6th of the major income source every year on one washed up whiny bitch of a radio show host, should be euthanized.

[Samurai @ May 10th 2006 3:48PM]

Crappy unit. Inno and Helix rule, when the little doggy company has portables with live reception, XM will have something better. Howard sucks, Opie and Anthony rock.

[Kevin M. @ May 10th 2006 9:50PM]

*laughs*

People say Sirius content is better. Sure, it's good on paper, but Martha Stewart, Tony Hawk, Lance Armstrong, NFL, and (yes I have the balls to say this) Howard Stern don't make for good RADIO.

Howard Stern is clearly the best of that bunch, but a few years ago he effectively called himself "washed up" by saying satellite is for washed up jocks. He's getting old, and should done what he said he would do, and end his radio career. He's a hypocrite!

Just as Stern said in an ad years ago, Beyond AM, Beyond FM, it's XM Satellite Radio.

(BTW if you can afford it you'd benefit from owning both services, but Sirius is not better on it's own.)

[Howl @ May 15th 2006 1:58AM]

Any possiblity of Sirius geting a mobile live transmitter? I am pretty pissed that there is not one available yet. I am thinking about going over to XM whn my subscription is over. I am not going to subscribe to both XM and Sirius. I alo can't stand Sirius constantly losing its signal in my cars. Does XM have this problem too? Email a reply to me if you could, thank you in advance. [e-mail]