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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 Stiletto 100, sans Bluetooth, sadly
Believe it or not, there are times when you can't believe everything you read on the internets. We know, we're shocked too. One of the latest rumors catching wildfire is that Sirius' new portable radio, the Stiletto 100, will come with Bluetooth. We've done some digging and have found out that it appears that it won't -- or at least Sirius hasn't told anyone that it will. The unconfirmed reporting originated from a piece by Wired News reporter Eliot Van Buskirk, who just told us that his news organization would be soon running a correction. That drops the Stiletto's sex appeal by about a half a notch, no?[Via Orbitcast]
Sirius Stiletto available for pre-order
Sirius's Stiletto, the do-it-all portable satellite radio, is available for pre-order from Crutchfield as of yesterday afternoon (9/1). Although there's no information on when the player will ship, the new higher-resolution shots of the device should keep Sirius fans' appetites for pics sated for now. The model over at Crutchfield appears to be the WiFi-enabled version -- It has a $349.99 pricetag, the non-WiFi version is $100 less -- so if you'd rather take the hundred bucks over the ability to listen to internet radio stations, keep that finger off the pre-order button.[Via Orbitcast; thanks, zatz]
Sirius' Stiletto 100 in the wild
See that? No, not the big honkin' speaker dock, but the Stiletto 100 just casually hangin' out in the wild. The dock we already know as the Soloist from Directed Electronics but this is a first live-shot 'round these parts of the WiFi-enabled Stiletto 100 from Sirius. Besides playing live Sirius broadcasts, the $349 device is expected to offer 100 hours of storage and the ability to download and store MP3 and WMA files. If that September launch holds up then we can expect the unboxing rituals to commence any day now. [Via Orbitcast]
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 Conductor enables whole-house sat radio fun
Breaking with the tradition of beginning nearly all of its product names with the letter "S" (see the recently released Stiletto, Starmates, Sportsters, Stratus and old school S50 for reference), Sirius has announced a new in-home satellite radio tuner known as the Conductor. Instead of lugging your Sirius boombox all over the house, you'll now be able to hook the tuner directly into your rack-mounted receiver (though you'll still need to snake that antenna outside) and operate it from almost anywhere in your pad thanks to the handy RF- and IR-equipped remote. The LCD-sporting universal remote can also control up to five other members of your home theater family, and if you're willing to shell out for an extra Sirius subscription, it has the ability to rock two separate audio zones with a compatible SiriusConnect tuner. (Howard in one room and Martha in the other -- does life get any better than that?) Scheduled for a November release, the Conductor system will set you back $150, but if you've already got yourself a lifetime sub, this would seem like a must-have item (well, as long as you don't mind eating the transfer fee).[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]
Sirius Stiletto 100 live sat radio discovered
Between leaky catalogues and the FCC it's a wonder anyone's products are kept under wraps for long, but that obviously wasn't the case for Sirius's unfortunately named Stiletto 100, which went out with the usual Crutchfield catalogue before being officially announced. Besides having a you-know-what like clickwheel, the Stiletto appears to be their first live portable sat radio player, finally catching up to the tech XM introduced at CES earlier this year with the Inno and the Helix. It should have PlaysForSure support with 100 hours of storage for Sirius programming, and another 50 for the stuff you've downloaded; the device should also have WiFi, and apparently 4 hours live reception (and up to 22 hours recorded), and will go for $399 when Sirius officially acknowledges its existence. Psst, guys, cat's out of the bag, just go ahead and announce it, ok?[Via OrbitCast, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Directed unveils Soloist universal media dock
If you've ever dreamed of morphing your Sirius boombox and iPod speaker system into one incredibly convenient unit, you're obviously not alone. Directed Electronics has raised the curtains on its Soloist universal media dock, which apparently hopes to be an end-all solution to folks who don't want a separate sound system for every media player they own. Although this is labeled with the ever-trendy "universal" tagline, it's clear this NXT-powered device was created with Apple's cash cow and Sirius subscribers in mind. The Soloist utilizes SurfaceSound flat panel speaker technology, and packs a subtle 10 watt-per-channel Tripath amplifier into a thin, black housing. While the system will definitely support the iPod and Sirius varieties, an untold amount of other interchangeable cradles will supposedly be included. Just in case your DAP is shunned in the cradle department, an aux-in port is provided along with a headphone jack and a Sirius in-house antenna to boot. The portability crowd will be a bit bummed that the Soloist only plays when connected to an AC outlet, as a battery compartment is MIA, but you will be able to wake to your favorite tune or Sirius station thanks to the built-in alarm clock, which could possibly make dragging yourself out of bed at least slightly less excruciating. This surprisingly well-featured device might not replace your high-end speaker systems, but if consolidation becomes a necessity, you can snag the Soloist for $149 this September.
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.
SUBX1 Universal Sirius Boombox
Need a boombox to take your satellite jams wherever you're at in the house? Want to throw back to the 80s and hoist it up on your shoulder? Whichever camp you're in, Sirius has a new boombox looming that reportedly supports the entire array of Sportster units; according to Orbitcast, the SUBX1 Universal Sirius Boombox even supports the Sportster 4, Streamer 3, and any future receivers, and has the usual built-in amp, stereo speakers, and aux input to connect your other DAP of choice. The SUBX1's actual release date is still up in the air, but preliminary estimations indicate a $359.99 pricetag on the boombox / Sportster 4 combo kit. Extract the Sportster 4 and we'll probably see the box going solo for around $190. [Via Orbitcast, thanks nox_EvDo]
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.
Samsung's neXus XM DAP reviewed
We've always been a bit skeptical of portable DAPs like the Sirius S50 and Samsung neXus that promise to let you listen to sat radio content on-the-go, because since neither device includes a built-in satellite receiver, you're stuck with the programming you've recorded while the player was docked at home. PC Mag seems to agree that this class of gadgets offers rather limited functionality, and their review of the neXus isn't very promising for potential customers: unless you buy the $70 car kit for listening to live feeds in your ride, you're basically spending either $219 or $269, respectively, for either a 512MB or 1GB MP3 player that delivers neither great sound quality nor an acceptable battery life. What's more, you have to make sure that you keep the unit docked for at least eight hours a month so that XM can properly authenticate your subscription to keep your recorded tunes from disappearing. Ultimately, unless you're a on a tight budget and absolutely need some XM swag in your pocket at all times, PC Mag suggests -- and we tend to agree -- that you're better off shelling out a few more bucks for the Pioneer Inno or Samsung Helix, which both allow you to pick up and record live feeds right out of the box, no dock necessary.
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.
Zing-based DAPs to offer Sirius, downloading over WiFi
There's a new player in town looking to expose the Music Gremlin to some harsh sunlight, and with Sirius and VoIP capabilities along with the Gremlin-like WiFi and Bluetooth for sharing and downloading, the Zing reference device may prove to be a formidable nemesis for the player we first caught at CES. Cnet was hanging out at the D4 conference today and got to check out the Zing in action, and report that the device will enable third-party content providers to offer convenient PC-less download services, although unfortunately the Sirius-branded version will get its radio content not from satellites or terrestrial repeaters but solely through relatively short-range WLAN connections. Still, the built-in mic means that Zing-based products could potentially incorporate VoIP services as well, which would make them serious contenders for some of the musicphones on the market if not for their limited utility outside the range of a hotspot.[Via Orbitcast, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
XM will "vigorously defend" Innos against industry suit
XM is firing back against the recording industry's lawsuit over the Pioneer Inno's ability to temporarily store copyrighted material, stating rather boldly in an open letter to its customers that "we will vigorously defend these radios and your right to enjoy them in court and before Congress, and we expect to win." Claiming that the record labels "don't get it," XM argues that consumers have always been free to tape over-the-air content from a variety of sources, provided that they restrict those recordings to personal use. What's more, the Inno doesn't even let you transfer recorded content to other devices, and deletes all of your tunes if you drop your XM subscription, so it's already much more restrictive than the recording devices faced by TV and terrestrial radio broadcasters. Instead of actually expecting XM to pay $150,000 for each song recorded by Inno users (which would probably amount to at least several billion dollars), it's more likely that the music industry is using this suit to coax XM into joining rival Sirius in coughing up additional licensing fees. Also, a note to XM PR: despite your suggestion that the record labels are attacking sat radio owners at the expense of a war on the "real" pirates, we think that the industry is both well-prepared and well-equipped for a multi-front conflict.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Record labels sue XM over Inno recording
We thought that maybe, just maybe, the recent S50 blessing from the record labels might mean that they were letting off a bit on this whole "satellite radio recording is killing the music industry" thing. Boy were we wrong. Turns out Sirius agreed to pay for one of those snazzy and expensive distribution licenses, similar to what iTunes and Napster have, to allow their users to continue to record songs off of the radio service. XM balked at the fee, since they're already paying a license to play the songs in a radio capacity. That's why they've just been hit with a massive lawsuit for the sale of their Inno player, seeking $150,000 in damages per song recorded by XM customers. XM says they play 160,000 different songs per month, but we're not sure how that translates to this "songs recorded" figure that the record labels want to penalize them for. What we do know is that the amount is pretty extreme, and that XM had better have a good case, or this emerging satellite radio market could lose a major player in a jiffy
