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XM kicks out CommanderMT for your ride, supports Mini-Tuner
If you're going to have a little Mini-Tuner love going on in your crib, you can't just leave your vehicle hung out to dry, and now XM's dishing out the CommanderMT to bring the tunes with you while you travel. The sleek, black unit is purportedly designed to be integrated into your dash, and the Mini-Tuner design removes the need to actually carry your Commander with you when you exit the vehicle. It's also universal in nature, so it delivers the XM channels to your car stereo via FM, for better or (likely) worse. Possibly designed for folks looking to keep their existing head unit but add XM capabilities, the unit can be flush-mounted permanently if you're down with keeping the same tuner for the life of your vehicle. Regardless, the new CommanderMT should be hitting stores not too long after CES concludes, so be sure to click on through for a few more pics.[Via Orbitcast]
Audiovox's XM2go X2G-100 Inno clone revealed
As exciting as it was to stare at the back of this thing a couple of months ago, we're kind of glad the FCC decided to flip the unit over and give us some more shots of this new satellite radio device from Audiovox. The latest in a series of XM2go clones, the X2G-100 looks like it's just about ready to party down with the Helix and Inno players, which were released earlier this year. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot new here: the player features the same 50 hours of recording time as its siblings, and while Audiovox was kind enough to toss in those clunky, Sirius-esque antenna headphones, they left out the home and car kits, so it's a bit of a wash. We are liking the new all-black look, but assuming a similar price tag on this thing, we don't see much reason to go with this sucker when it debuts in February, since we're sure there'll be another generation of portable XM devices not long after. Keep reading for a couple more pics.[Via Orbitcast]
Sirius Stiletto 10 now available
Those looking for a little portable satellite radio action but not willing to drop upwards of $350 for the Stiletto 100 now have another option at their disposal, with the stripped-down Stiletto 10 now available for a full hundred bucks less. To bring that price down, this model eschews the built-in WiFi of the Stilleto 100, as well as about nine tenths of its storage space, now able to store only ten hours of Sirius content as opposed to a hundred (as the names would suggest). Otherwise, the player looks to be pretty much in line with its more feature-packed sibling, with the same 2.2-inch color display, dual batteries, and a similar, albeit grayer form factor. You can grab this one direct from Sirius (though they appear to be out of stock at the moment) or from your retailer of choice (most of which appear to have some on hand).[Thanks, Jose]
Dueling unboxings: Delphi SkyFi3 vs. Pentax K10D
Ok, so they don't exactly have all that much in common but, you know us, we can't just let good unboxings (or even not so good ones) slide by unnoticed. The first comes courtesy of the fine folks at Orbitcast, who managed to get their hands on Delphi's SkyFi3 portable XM satellite radio. While they're promising a full review in the coming days, like the good geeks that they are, they snapped a few shots of the box and its contents to whet your appetite. The second product to go through the traditional unboxing ritual is Pentax's K10D 10.2 megapixel DSLR, which found its way into the hands of a Flickr user coincidentally named K10D. If the pics above aren't enough for ya, you can check out a couple of bigger ones after the break, and then hit up the links below for the complete unboxing action.Read - Orbitcast, Delphi SkyFi3 - UnboxedRead - Flickr, Pentax K10D[Thanks, A. Parker]
Sirius InV SV2-TK1, a new in-dash receiver
So the internets are predicting a new low-end Sirius dash receiver on the horizon. The InV SV2-TK1, according to Orbitcast, sports a simple design with a "three-line display (artist, title, channel), 10 channel presets, a one-touch Jump Button, parental controls, 100-channel built-in wireless FM transmitter and a real-time clock." However, Electronista tells us that users won't be able to use the universal Sirius plug-and-play connector, sadly. While the receiver should be available soon, our pricing info is conflicting, with those sites quoting the MSRP as being $50 and $60, respectively. Still, it's no slick Stiletto, but it'll get you your Stern, sans problème.[Thanks, Jonathan]Read - OrbitcastRead - Electronista
Sirius Stiletto 100: this dog will hunt
Sirius' answer to XM's Inno/Helix -- the Stiletto 100 satellite receiver -- just scored an "excellent" review over at CNET. No surprise to find the player taking hits for bulk and for requiring users to wear those "kind of dorky" and "very uncomfortable" headphones for the best satellite signal reception. But you'll be happy to know that CNET was still able to tune-in to satellite radio with the included, antenna-less earbuds with the reviewer pulling 2/3 signal bars while seated near a window in his fifth-floor office building. They also weren't too stoked at the "less-than" 1GB of storage available to MP3/WMA audio or the AM-like audio quality when streaming Sirius content over WiFi (802.11b, only) but it was nevertheless a welcome feature when in a satellite dead zone. Still, you can always pay an additional $3/mth for Sirius to open access to their 128kbps "CD quality" streams. Streaming internet radio over WiFi worked well and the ability to pause/replay and record live Sirius streams functioned with "razor precision" storing files in the "well-organized" library. CNET still has to conduct their battery-drain test but don't expect anything better than the 4 hours for live satellite radio, 8 hours for Internet radio, and 20 hours for MP3s off the big ol' standard battery -- impressively, a slim battery is included in the bundle but offers only about half the playback. Overall, CNET found the Stiletto 100 to be particularly "fun" to use due to the "huge" feature set your $350 buys and from the "incredibly easy to use" game-like interface allowing you to constantly discover the new music and content delivered by satellite and Internet radio.[Thanks, Brit]
Sirius Stiletto 100 caught in the wild
Engadget reader John C. managed to nab a Sirius Stiletto 100 and took a bunch of pictures for us -- thanks John! Sounds like he was really happy with it for the most part, mentioning that the sound quality is great, but already we're seeing some drawbacks. Apparently the unit suffers from such a minor but obvious oversight in lacking a charge indicator when it's off, but the big bummer was learning how this unit gets reception without a fat antenna like its XM2Go competition -- they give you some seriously massive and dopey looking headphones that receive the signal from atop your dome. You might not think that's as big a hack as we do -- after all, it's probably only for those pesky dead zones where you need a little extra oomph, right? Not so; John mentioned to us that unless you live near a terrestrial repeater, you're not going to have much of a choice but to wear the big phones, and not the ear buds (of course, your mileage may vary). The things we do for portables.P.S. -Reader Eric hit us up with a YouTube vid of his Stiletto 100 in action -- check it out after the break.
Sirius Stiletto 100 "availability" announced
We know that the last thing you wanted to see on a peaceful Tuesday afternoon was another Stiletto post, but we thought we'd just let you know that Sirius has finally gone official on the "availability" of the Stiletto 100 this month. We're not even sure what they mean by that, since there's still no mention of the player on their main site or online store, but they printed it up in a nice fancy press release, so at least it means they're done with any of those rumored "delays" or whatnot. Sirius also has the prices on the vehicle kit ($70), home kit ($70) and executive system ($150) that we spotted yesterday, so that's pretty, um, exciting.Update: Reader Scotty points out that Sirius' online store is now showing a ship date of October 4.
Sirius Stiletto 100: the rest of the story
We've been all over the place with this Sirius Stiletto 100 portable player, with rumored specs a'flying, a launch window stretched to the limit, and even a bit of RIAA drama. We still don't have an actual launch date -- that would be too easy -- but we've got the info on just about everything you could care to know about the little player, thanks to a conveniently "live" official site for the player. Of course, you've probably already heard the basics by now: live satellite radio, 802.11b WiFi (with WEP and WPA support), a purtiful screen (2.2-inches at a QVGA res) and a good helping of storage (turns out to be 2GB of NAND flash) for live radio recording and for pre-loaded PlaysForSure action. Now we've got the nitty gritty. The player comes with dual batteries out of the box, a standard version that makes the unit measure 1-inch thick in total, and powers 4 hours of satellite radio, 8 hours of Sirius Internet Radio (over WiFi) and 20 hours of library playback, along with a slim version that trims things down to 0.72-inches, but halves all those battery scores. As for other dimensions, the Stiletto measures 4.6-inches tall, 2.1-inches wide and weighs 5.6 and 4.6 ounces with standard and slim batteries, respectively. There's also a set of antenna headphones, earbuds and a PC sync cable included in the box. Sirius, of course, has a whole complement of accessories for the player, including vehicle and home docking kits, and a Stiletto Executive System dock with built-in speakers. We're still holding out for a September release date here, so start prepping your $350 for this fall's satellite hotness.[Thanks, Ian Z.]
Delphi's SkyFi3: the first portable XM radio and MP3 player with removable storage
With production back in full swing, Delphi looks set to drop the SkyFi3 into the XM Satellite Radio mix. While not officially announced, you can find the portable unit with car kit up on JJI Electronics website (and others) ready for pre-order. For a low, low $200, you'll get a 2.8-inch screen, 30-minute pause and replay, 5-hour rechargeable battery, car kit with remote control, and just like the Pioneer Inno, the ability to tag songs you hear on XM for later purchase on Napster. Not bad right? But what makes this pup hot is that it looks to be the first satellite radio with removable storage for storing up to 10 hours of XM programming or as many MP3, WMA, or WAV files as you can stuff onto a $90 or so 2GB microSD card. First shipments are expected in late October -- assuming the RIAA doesn't step in, that is. Another picture with home kit and car kit docks after the break.[Via orbitcast, Thanks Michael P]
Sirius to retailers: stop taking Stiletto pre-orders
It looks like those folks jonesing to get their portable Sirius on are going to have to wait just a little bit longer, as the satellite radio giant has apparently asked all of its retail partners to suspend pre-orders on the Stiletto 100 until further notice. The TSS Radio e-tail site where the information first appeared claims that they "still expect the Stiletto near the end of September / early October," although another authorized retailer, Crutchfield, has taken down its pre-order page altogether. So far no one seems to know exactly why Sirius made this move at such a late date, but aside from supply problems (which are unlikely), the major contender for the delay would seem to be our old friends over at the RIAA. What's strange about this scenario is that unlike rival XM -- which is still battling the record labels over licensing fees for their portable players / recorders -- Sirius seems to have made nice with the recording industry following the little brouhaha over its dockable S50 player. Bottom line is that we don't like a mystery, so we're gonna poke around a little more and see if we can get to the bottom of this unexpected development -- meanwhile, it's SiriuCE or bust for live, pocketable (albeit crappy) Sirius content until further notice.
Sirius planning "Internet Radio Plus" subsciption service
You can, of course, already get Internet radio from Sirius if you're a subscriber to its satellite service, but the company now looks to be opening it up to people who don't want to fork over the cash for a radio and full subscription -- and it's boosting the sound quality for good measure. According to Sirius Backstage, Sirius is gearing up to launch the standalone "Sirius Internet Radio Plus" service, which'll offer "CD-quality" music channels and "select talk channels" (including Howard) at 48kbps for $12.95 per month. If you're already a Sirius subscriber, you'll apparently be able to upgrade to the new and improved service for $2.99 a month, or get three additional subscriptions for $6.99 a month. And if you're content with your current 32kps streaming audio, you'll be able to continue listening to it gratis. A welcome addition, to be sure, but it seems Sirius could learn a bit from XM in one area: pricing (if these numbers turn out to be solid), given that you can currently get XM Radio Online running at a full 64kps for a mere $7.99 a month.[Via Orbitcast]
Sirius unveils Stilettos, Stratus and new Starmates, Sportster
So Sirius just held a little party for its upcoming crop of devices, and besides the anticipated Stiletto 100 portable receiver we already knew about, the company also introduced the WiFi-less $249 Stiletto 10 (whose name should indicate its recording capacity) along with four new universal plug-and-play radios in the vein of the Sportster. Speaking of the Sportster, the first new model happens to be a stripped-down version of the Sportster4, with the $120 Sportster3 (pictured after the break) "sporting" all the same features as its big brother minus that handy 44-minute Replay functionality. Replay can still be found, however, in the new Starmate4 (pictured above, also $120) -- though not in the "lower-end," $100 Starmate3 -- both of which feature extra-large displays and are obviously new iterations of the original Starmate. Finally we have the brand new Stratus (anyone else getting overloaded with "S"es here?), which at only $60 is the cheapest of the bunch, and seems to cut corners in the areas of both design and accessories (no remote or vehicle dock, for instance). All the plug-and-play radios are compatible with the new generation of home and car docks and boomboxes, and the entire family of new products will be released gradually throughout the months of September and October.Read- Starmates, Sportster, and StratusRead- Stilettos [Via Orbitcast]
Google ads will stream out to XM listeners
In what looks to be another accomplishment on its supposed quest for world domination, Google is expanding yet again. This time, the search-engine-turned-conglomerate is making way for AdWords customers to get their plugs into the ears of XM satellite radio listeners. In a deal between the two companies, XM will allow Google's AdWords clients to get their spots on whichever non-music XM channel they feel appropriate -- apparently not even Google had the wherewithal (or the desire) to get advertisers onto XM's "commercial free music channels." Having purchased dMarc Broadcasting for $102 million in Janurary, Google isn't a radio newcomer, and this signing provides a fairly enormous audience when combined with their plans for terrestrial radio (they're already advertising in Detroit). Google, presumably looking out for the little guys (and its profit margins), envisions satellite ads to be less expensive and more appealing to small businesses by cutting out the lengthy sales pitch typically found in plain 'ole AM / FM radio advertising. Aside from making the process of getting a commercial on the air much less painful, touting those "7 million XM subscribers" as potential buyers will likely attract a new wave of AdWords customers as well. So, what've they got their hands in now? Your Dell PC, a new internet, a vast supply of "dark fiber," WiFi in cities, and now satellites -- apparently the plan is coming together beautifully.
Sirius video service coming this year, sez Karmazin
Talk of a Sirius satellite video service has been going on for practically as long as Sirius itself has been around, but it looks like it's now finally, maybe, definitely getting closer to reality. In a conference call yesterday, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin himself said: "We are close to signing deals to offer the best video programming for kids as part of our OEM offering in the second half of the year" -- seems pretty definitive, no? The focus on kids programming certainly jives with earlier statements from the company on how they foresaw the service being used, but the launch date is actually earlier than most recent word we've heard from Sirius Senior VP Bob Law, who pegged it to be sometime "post-CES 2007." We can only assume that they're still planning for the service to be a live one, as opposed to cached, but your guess is as good as ours as to what it'll actually look like.[Via MobileMag]
Sirius poised to release Stiletto portable receiver
Better late than never, Sirius is finally on the verge of releasing its first "personal live satellite radio product" to consumers, who will see the device ship by the end of the summer and possibly as early as this month. We first spotted the rather chunky-looking player about a month ago in the hands of CEO Mel Karamazin, who said in a recent conference call that the so-called Stiletto (it's not clear if that's the official product moniker or simply an internal codename) has now been in beta testing for a few weeks and seems ready for prime-time (Mel referred to it, probably not without some bias, as "great"). As you're probably aware, rival XM has already brought a number of XM2GO products to market -- most recently, the Samsung Helix and Pioneer Inno -- while Sirius is still stuck in the dark ages with its dockable S50. Personally, we couldn't be happier about this impending release; we can't wait to give up the crappy sound quality we're getting with SiriuCE on our Windows Mobile phones, and we're sure our wireless carriers will be just as pleased when we stop sucking down so many gigs of data.
Sirius halts production of some satellite radios
Apparently someone should really investigate the FCC's approval process, because this marks the second mishap in 2006 that has forced a satellite radio company to halt production of some of its radios. Not too far behind XM's run-in with the law, Sirius is also facing scrutiny for their FM-transmitting devices. Apparently the emissions are too powerful for their own good (which might be a good thing, considering our Helix test unit's FM transmitter was unbelievably underpowered), and the excessive output is beyond the regulations they were originally approved for -- seems pretty straight forward. Although we aren't certain of the exact radios affected in this filing, Sirius seems confident that the devices in question fully comply with FCC regulations (that stamp of approval is valid, right?) and this scuffle won't require any major recalls or financial losses. Regardless of who dropped the ball here, the FCC is definitely making this a painful year to be a satellite radio provider.
Think Secret dishes on Zune, future iPods
Apple rumor site Think Secret has been busy chatting it up with all those company insiders whom Misters Jobs and Gates would love to get their rich and powerful hands on, and turned those leaks into an article which dispels some of the recently-circulating iPod rumors, along with providing a few more tantalizing deets about Microsoft's upcoming "iPod killer." For starters, it looks like we shouldn't be expecting the "true" video iPod until at least the annual MacWorld Expo in January -- though larger capacity 5G 'Pods may arrive in the interim -- and apparently the long-rumored iPhone also won't be coming anytime soon, as that project has reportedly been put on hold for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, when the 6G iPod is finally released, it will likely lack both the wireless capabilities and talking interface that some people have been anticipating; Apple is said to believe that the former feature would have too much of an impact on battery life, while the latter would only feed what's seen as a marginal consumer demand. Finally, Microsoft's so-called Zune -- which is rumored to sport WiFi for communicating with MTV's Urge service -- may also come equipped with a powerful 400MHz processor suitable for gaming, as well as a built in tuner for receiving satellite radio broadcasts. Obviously all this info is just speculation from unnamed sources for now, but if the Zune does end up duping your iTunes tracks, playing high-quality games, and giving you access to Sirius or XM on the go, then Apple may be facing its first real marketplace battle in the iPod's brief but influential existence.
Sirius CEO reveals portable receiver/DAP
While XM is already offering its customers live feeds on-the-go through the well-received Pioneer Inno and Samsung Helix, rival Sirius has been rather slow to the starting gate in this department, as its flagship S50 portable only plays back content that was recorded while it was docked. Now, however, it looks like Sirius is finally on the verge of releasing its first DAP with built-in satellite receiver, and Tech Effect even managed to snap a picture of the device when CEO Mel Karmazin briefly flashed it during his keynote at this week's Convergence 2.0 conference. Unfortunately Mel only broke out the chunky-looking player to illustrate a point he was making about the iPod ("I wish it didn't exist," he said, probably only half-jokingly), so all that's known about this unit is its size and the fact that it sports a headphone jack. Still, Mel promises that he'll have the product in stores by the end of the summer, and since it's reportedly in the midst of beta testing, we're expecting to see some leaked specs and photos sooner rather than later -- much sooner if any of you testers would be so kind as to drop us a line.
Sirius launching another satellite
It's a pretty serious matter when any private media company decides to throw up a private satellite into orbit, which is why we're not taking it lightly that the heavily indebted Stern-enabled Sirius satellite radio network is dropping more than a quarter billion dollars to put satellite number four -- lovingly named SIRIUS FM-5 -- into space. Just don't be surprised if you start hearing more rumblings about their supposedly forthcoming video and data systems in the near future; sounds like this SS/L's 1300 system's going to pack in some serious tech.
