Satellite radio has been portable for quite some time, though some would probably still consider it a niche market. Hard to argue with that when a lot of the mainstream seems to be listening more and more to created playlists from downloaded music and podcasts. Sirius XM Radio tries to marry the two concepts together with the XMp3 Player, an almost iPod-like pocket-sized device that can play all the satellite radio content you can get, plus whatever MP3s you can cram into a microSD memory card
The combination basically ensures that you can listen to music, podcasts or any other audio programming no matter where you are. You may lose satellite coverage when hop into the subway, but at least you have whatever is on the microSD.
You can record up to 10 hours of programming from five different channels simultaneously. And it only takes one touch to set it all up. You can schedule recordings for your favorite XM programs for up to 75 hours. You can also pause and replay any XM live programming for up to 30 minutes.
The "TuneSelect" feature allows you to record songs from artists of your choosing, meaning that the XMp3 Player scours all the channels and plucks said artist's songs and keeps them in a playlist for you. The Music Manager also lets you create your own playlists, which can be mixed with both MP3s and recorded songs from XM programs.
The box also comes with a home dock, home antenna and remote control, so that you can use the player when chilling out at home. Through an auxiliary cable, you could potentially use the XMp3 player in a car, but results may vary depending on line-of-sight with orbiting satellites. Recorded content and MP3s should play normally though.
The player is currently selling for $199.99. A yearlong subscription to all 170 channels will run you $159.99. For now, XM seems to be offering a free 2GB microSD card if you buy the player now directly from their website.