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Sirius XM Onyx radio, PowerConnect accessories hit the FCC
Sirius XM's Onyx radio may have gotten a little lost in the shuffle when it was announced alongside the company's SkyDock iPhone / iPod touch dock, but it looks like none other than the FCC has now stepped in to offer a bit of a reminder, with the radio and a slew of accessories for it turning up for some approval. While the radio itself is pretty standard fare, the various accessories for it are anything but, as they make use of the company's new PowerConnect technology (also found in the SkyDock) that essentially takes advantage of your car's wiring to offer a better FM transmitter and ease installations in the process. Hit up the link below for a closer look at some of the accessory options available, including a cassette adapter for those looking to bring a bit of the 21st century to their old car stereo.
Sirius XM readying SkyDock iPhone / iPod touch accessory and more?
Sirius XM itself may not be dropping many hints just yet (unless you count that iPhone app), but rumors are building that the company is set to make a big push into iPhone / iPod touch territory at an event next week, where it's reportedly set to introduce a slew of new hardware. The standout piece is a so-called "XM SkyDock," which XMFan.com describes as a dock for your iPhone or iPod touch that effectively turns it into a full-fledged satellite radio. Details on it are otherwise still fairly light, as you might expect, but the dock will apparently make use of a new type of power cord that uses your vehicle's wiring as an FM transmitter wire, and will reportedly sell for less than $100. Other new devices supposedly on tap include a new color-screen XM Radio with that same new power cord that'll sell for $80, and a new XM signal repeater that operates in the 900MHz spectrum and will apparently replace the current Delphi repeater. [Thanks, Kevin]
Sirius XM iPhone app is now live, streaming
It hasn't been Thursday too long, but as promised, Sirius XM's iPhone / iPod touch app has popped up in the iTunes app store, ready for your aural digestion. There's a 7-day free trial being offered, but yeah, eventually you're gonna have to pay. Now that it's there, we might as well point out the app's got a 9+ rating for mild profanity and crude humor. Worth giving up Pandora, Last.fm, or any number of other free music streamers already available? That's your call, so go download and decide for yourself.
Sirius XM iPhone app coming this week, says customer support
Just in case a new iPhone model and OS 3.0 weren't enough goodies for this week, Sirius XM support team members are sending emails out announcing the company's long-awaited iPhone / iPod touch app will finally seeing the light of day and will launch this Thursday, June 18th. We just got off the phone with a customer service rep who confirmed the letters are legit, so unless there's some communication breakdown on the corporate ladder, looks like it's really, finally coming. It'll be available as a free download from the App Store, but those who subscribe to the gratis Basic Online Service will have to upgrade to the $2.99 monthly premium plan to have it on the go. We're a bit light on other details -- we can't imagine it being as full-featured as the standalone receivers -- but it's a good bet we'll have all our questions answered before the week is out.
Sirius XM developing iPhone / iPod touch streaming radio app
My, my -- now isn't this something? Shortly after narrowly avoiding a dastardly collision with bankruptcy, Sirius XM is looking to connect itself with profitable enterprises in an attempt to build market share and regain interest from budget-conscience consumers. Just weeks after hearing that the sat radio company could be preparing a few Sirius / DirecTV bundles, CFO David Frear has now confirmed on a recent earnings call that the outfit is indeed developing an iPhone / iPod touch app. It's interesting to think that a satellite radio firm could be warming to delivering more content via the internet, but it's the apparent diversion from being a standalone offering that has us even more intrigued. It should be interesting to see how the pricing model works with this forthcoming app -- will users be able to get an iPhone subscription only? Will it be tossed in gratis with traditional subscriptions? So many questions, not enough patience.[Image courtesy of SiriusBuzz]
Facing App Store limbo, StarPlayr developers give up and go home
Last November, as visions of cranberries and turkey danced in our heads, the first tidbits about a forthcoming Sirius/XM app for the iPhone began to emerge on the Howard Stern fan forums. In January, the satellite radio player's name and details were confirmed -- StarPlayr was on the way from NiceMac.Two weeks ago, word arrived from NiceMac that the app was neither approved nor rejected by Apple... perhaps keeping it out of the way of an official Sirius app rumored last week. No independent developer wants to be in this no-app's-land between approval on the store and a branded app around the corner, so you can probably guess what happens next. Early this morning, a blog post on the starplayr.com site confirmed what many of us expected: NiceMac is abandoning development of the StarPlayr app, not only on the iPhone but on Windows Mobile as well. Refunds for WinMo licensees will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until NiceMac runs out of cash.It's a sad and frustrating outcome, not only for the hardworking team behind StarPlayr but also for the eager fans who were ready to lay down their cash for the app. Without some sort of advance roadmap for internal/partner projects from Apple, or a published list of 'no-go zones' for third party developers to stay clear of the official-app juggernaut, this is going to happen again. I understand that competitive pressures may force Apple to keep licensing and development deals under wraps -- chances are, the team answering emails in Developer Relations has no idea what's in the works up in the executive offices -- but there's got to be a way to avoid this deep chill on innovation and investment from third-party devs.Update: As some commenters have pointed out, the back-end infrastructure of StarPlayr is being shut down, which will disable the WinMo version of the app. This points strongly towards Sirius/XM, and not Apple, as the Big Bad in this scenario.Thanks Jim
Is Sirius working on its own iPhone app?
After all the bad news about the NiceMac StarPlayr application for the iPhone, Sirius Buzz, a web site that tracks the goings on in satellite radio, says they have it on good authority that a free player is coming from Sirius/XM directly.Without citing specific sources, the author of the post says the player is going to be released 'very shortly'. The article implies that Sirius/XM, knowing their own app was coming, nixed the NiceMac solution.That will be welcome news for the hordes of people who want an iPhone-based solution to listen to Sirius and XM. In particular, a lot of Howard Stern fans want to listen on the go, and an iPhone solution would be just the ticket.With new car sales falling off a cliff, and the Sirius/XM merger not the financial panacea it was supposed to be, the nation's only satellite radio service could use a little positive buzz. Thousands of subscribers signing up for streaming could be a good thing for the company and subscribers.Of course, all this could be a baseless rumor, but keep watching this space for more.Via Sirius Buzz
Sirius / DirecTV bundles already being considered
We posed the question barely a week ago, and already we've got our answer. Or, not really, but pretty much. You see, Liberty Media (DirecTV's parent company) CEO Gregg Maffei told analysts on a recent conference call that "one could talk about or imagine bundles, probably the $80 [per month] DirecTV product offering free trials of the $11 [monthly] Sirius XM product more likely than the other way around." He continued by stating that he hoped Sirius and DirecTV could "proceed on some of those in ways that are obviously beneficial for both parties." Really, we feel that it's just a matter of time. DirecTV has been grappling for ways to outgun DISH for years, and it'd be tough to fathom the satcaster having Sirius as a cousin and not exploiting it. Whether or not bundled sat ratio will be enough to make prospective customers choose it over other pay-TV alternatives remains to be seen, but really, what does DirecTV (or Sirius, for that matter) have to lose?[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
Will Liberty Media's rescue of Sirius XM lead to DirecTV partnerships?
It's the question that's everyone's wondering, so we'll just put it out there. Will Liberty Media's saving of Sirius XM lead to any sort of Sirius-DirecTV tie-up? Earlier this week, Liberty Media (which owns DirecTV) decided to loan the nearly bankrupt Sirius XM $530 million in exchange for a 40 percent equity stake. Now, DirecTV is a direct cousin of yet another satellite-based company. We already knew that both DirecTV and DISH were considering the merits of mobile TV, but according to a new report from Reuters, this could be the deal that finally urges the former to pursue it. Liberty Chief Executive Greg Maffei stated that it "would be looking at the possibilities of co-marketing DirecTV and Sirius XM to each other's subscribers and joint content deals, as well as working on a mobile video initiative." Of course, those weren't the primary reasons the deal was done, but only time will tell if it was lingering on the back of Liberty's mind as the ink dried.[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
Liberty Media rescues Sirius XM from bankruptcy
We guess those bailout talks with DirecTV weren't so futile after all, huh? The satcaster's parent company, Liberty Media, has just stepped in to rescue Sirius XM from the clutches of bankruptcy, providing a $530 million life raft that it will use to pay off looming debt payments and keep operations humming. Liberty will write a $280 million check immediately, of which $171 million will go straight to debtors. Another round of funding (to the tune of $250 million) will be available to Sirius XM in order to "help it pay its debts and ward off a potential takeover of Sirius by Charlie Ergen's DISH Network." In return for this mighty appreciated favor, Liberty Media will own 12.5 million shares of preferred stock in Sirius XM, which it can convert into common stock should it so choose. Also of note, founder John Malone and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei are likely to join Sirius XM's board of directors. Is that a collective sign of relief we just heard, or what?[Via Denver Business Journal, thanks Michael]
Sirius XM in bailout talks with DirecTV
Safe to say that satellite radio is far down the list of priorities for Uncle Sam's bailout bucks, so Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin pounded some pavement today, hitting up DirecTV and its parent company Liberty Media to try and save his bankrupted radio hydra. Apparently Smelly Melly isn't as hot for EchoStar owner Charles Ergan to buy Sirius XM out as was previously rumored, but there's a showdown brewing: Ergan's been busy taking control of Sirius XM's debt, so any deal with Liberty / DirecTV would result in feuding ownership interests. Making things even more interesting, it sounds like Ergan and Karmazin don't really get along, so this deal with DirecTV is basically his last shot at keeping his job. Desperate men do desperate things -- we'll see how this one shakes out. Read - Reuters Read - NYT
Report: Sirius XM preparing to file for bankruptcy
Sirius XM is preparing to file for bankruptcy and could do so within days, the New York Times reports. According to the article, the move might be a calculated act to pressure Dish Network and EchoStar owner Charles Ergen into making an offer for acquisition. The Wall Street Journal says he offered to purchase the merged satellite radio group late last year and was then brushed off. Despite previous rejections, he's recently reaffirmed his desire try again. If it wasn't before, the honeymoon is now officially over.Read - New York TimesRead - Wall Street Journal
Sirius XM plans official rate hike for March 11th
Yep, the deed's done. Er, it will be come March 11th, and there's no avoiding it. Unless, of course, you lock in a lower rate now, but we suppose that's the point of Sirius XM coming out with this information over a month in advance. As of now, both XM and Sirius' separate websites have "lockin" pages hosted up, with XM's noting that after March 11th, subscriptions will no longer include internet listening gratis. For those who renew their existing contract now, you'll be grandfathered in and continue to listen for free; after that deadline, it'll be $2.99 per month for the premium (and only) stream. Over at Sirius, we're told that the SIRIUS Everything plan will rise from $6.99 per month to $8.99 per month unless you lock yourself in prior to the eleventh day of March. So, should you stay or should you go?[Via The Wolf Web]Read - XM's pageRead - Sirius' page%Gallery-43289%
Tune into iPhone radio apps
Streaming radio apps for the iPhone/iPod touch are exploding in 2009. TUAW favorite Pandora was updated to 2.0 a couple of weeks ago, but it's hardly the only game in town. Back at Macworld, Chris Pirillo showed me StarPlayr for the iPhone, which lets Sirius and XM Radio subscribers access stations via the iPhone. The app isn't available right now, but it'll hopefully be in the App Store soon. Chris demoed the app extensively on his own site and having seen it in person, it is really impressive. Even with the crappy 3G signal we had on our trip to Cupertino, the stations streamed in at nice quality and there was an option to buy a track or album directly from iTunes. XM and Sirius both offer some great stations for talk radio and sports fans, and to me, that's where these types of streaming apps really shine. Pandora and Last.fm aren't the only streaming radio services around, AOL's SHOUTcast Radio [iTunes link] app debuted in the App Store a few weeks ago and it'll stream your favorite SHOUTcast stations in up to 128k streams (go to Settings on your iPhone, select SHOUTcast and select "allow high-bit streams"), favorite radio stations, search for artists (though the currently-playing artists is a bit delayed) and peruse the extensive SHOUTcast index. More below...
Sirius XM reportedly seeing rate increase this March
Sirius XM hasn't even been one for long, and yet we're already staring an impending price increase in the face. According to Sirius Buzz, company support representatives are now confirming to the general public that a rate hike will go into effect starting March 11, 2009. They're encouraging current subscribers to lock in their current rates for three years in order to be grandfathered in, but should you choose not to, you'll likely be paying $2 more for additional subscriptions and a $2.99 fee for the online internet radio service. If there's any good news here, it's that the latter fee will give you access to that oh-so-amazing 128k "premium" feed, though we're still left in the dark about any future channel expansions stemming from the increase.
Sirius XM rolls out interoperable MiRGE satellite radio
Sirius XM has already merged some of its channels and, as expected, it's now taken advantage of CES to roll out its very first interoperable satellite radio: the MiRGE (clever, Sirius XM, clever). In addition to letting you switch between Sirius and XM signals with ease, this radio will display three other channels as you view your current channel, and let you pause and rewind up to 60 minutes of live programming, among other standard features. What's more, XM Sirius has also rolled out a new "Sirius Everything plus XM Everything" package to go along with the radio, which will run you $19.99 a month and seemingly give you everything you'd get by subscribing to the two separate services. Look for the radio to be available early this spring for $250.[Via Orbitcast]
XM and Sirius channels merge at long last
It's been a long, long time coming but the once separate XM and Sirius universes are now finally, officially intermingling, resulting in some new channels, some renamed channels, some moved channels, and no doubt quite a bit of confusion for satellite radio listeners. The short of it is that XM users can expect to find 22 new channels, while Sirius listeners get 11 (mostly music channels), with a whole slew of other channels either moved, renamed, or both. Dig into the links below for the complete details, and expect to wait two to five minutes to receive the update if you haven't already turned on your radio today.Read - XM Satellite Radio New Channel LineupRead - Sirius Satellite Radio New Channel Lineup
Sirius SUBX2 boombox spotted early, ready for Dock & Play radios
Pardon us while we shed a tear of sentimental joy, but we honestly never thought we'd see a proper successor to the now-dated SUBX1 Universal Sirius Boombox. Lo and behold, the predictably named SUBX2 has surfaced, and while the design isn't anything to write home about, we suspect it'll get the job done in crunch time. Little is known outside of the obvious -- it's black, there are a couple of drivers in there, an auxiliary input / headphone jack will flank the front and it'll purportedly play nice with all current Sirius radios. Check the read link for a few more looks, and try to contain your excitement while we wait for a release date.[Via Orbitcast]
Rumor: MS planning five hour long New Xbox Experience media blitz
In rumor news that could probably be filed under the sub-category "too good to be true", word on the street is that Microsoft is planning a huge New Xbox Experience blowout later this month. A five hour long G4TV "console re-launching" event that's said to be full of new Xbox 360 game announcements. According to forum poster Dodece over on VG Chartz.com, Microsoft will hold their five hour long New Xbox Experience re-launching event on September 25th beginning at 7:00PM eastern and unleash an all out media blitz. Rumored to be announced during the event is news regarding free Halo 3 DLC, new Mass Effect DLC, the first of two chunks of GTAIV DLC and info regarding Portal. Also, during the event, six Xbox Originals will be released for free. There is also mention that MS will announce a Sirius Satellite Radio partnership, a new music download service and something called "Mad Lib" of which isn't explained. As if that wasn't enough, Microsoft will be announcing twelve new game titles exclusive to the 360, all of which are codenamed, but the rumor source confirms Assassins Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, a new Conker title, a new Rare shooter and two new Halo games are in the mix. Phew!Sound too good to be true? Yeah, sounds that way to us as well. Then again, if Microsoft wanted to march into the holidays with their guns a blazing, holding a five hour long 360 media frenzy would generate a bunch of buzz. Try not to get your hopes up though.[Via Kombo, Thanks Blake G]
We spy Ford's future Sync plans, nab a Sirius Travel Link hands-on
Ford invited us to its swanky Premier Auto Group headquarters in Irvine, California to talk about the future of Sync and demo the latest iteration of their infotainment platform coupled with Sirius Travel Link. According to the company, Sync v2.0 debuts in November, bringing tighter integration with Ford's syncmyride.com portal, providing owners with in-depth online vehicle health reports. Also in the cards is E911 support, which automatically places an emergency call as soon as the vehicle detects airbag deployment. Sync 3, scheduled to debut "sometime in 2009," will bring traffic, news, sports and weather to Ford vehicles without requiring navigation or a monthly subscription. On the infotainment front, however, 2009 Ford vehicles with the navigation option can subscribe to Sirius Travel Link for $7 a month, enabling real-time traffic info, coast to coast weather, local gas station listings sorted by price, movie show-times and sports scores. Peep the gallery below for a smorgasbord of screens.%Gallery-30685%
