XM Skydock App gets Background Audio

The XM Skydock App has been updated today to include Background Audio. According to the update The App Now adds Background Audio capabilities for use with ALL iPod touch and iPhone models using OS 3.0 or higher (not just iPod touch 3rd generation and iPhone 4). You can now listen to SIRIUS|XM audio while using other applications.

The update also Improves dock transitions when used with iOS 4 devices. Fixes “Dock not detected” message even when iPod touch or iPhone is inserted into the dock.

Finally this update will automatically initiate the required firmware update to the SkyDock hardware . Please be sure to allow the update to complete before exiting the application or removing power from the SkyDock.

You can grab the updated app in the App Store Right now or just click here.

Sirius XM’s Snap gets FCC approval, but what is it?

A new device from Sirius XM has just gained approval from the FCC (link).

Based on the report the Sirius XM Snap, Model:XSN1, is a Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service receiver for Sirius XM Radio. The unit is a vehicle accessory with a transmitter operating in the 88-108MHz FM Band. The XM Snap supplies the incoming satellite digital audio signal to the vehicle’s radio via wired connection (Audio cable, FM Direct, or Cassette Adapter) or wireless FM transmission (Power Connect or FEA).

Unfortunately that is really all the information given about the new product, and the only image we have is the one above. Given the name Snap it’s possible this product was created to be paired with another device, perhaps a mobile phone or a new product not released yet?

Sirius XM has requested a 45 day confidentiality period on the user guide, test photos and other information, suggesting it’ll be here in time for the holiday season.

What do you think this new mystery product is? Leave your thoughts below.

Sirius XM iPhone App Updated: Adds Multitasking, XM SkyDock Users Excluded

Sirius XM updated their iPhone app yesterday to version 1.3.3 (Link). Included in this update is the ability to multitask (thanks to iOS4), reduced buffer while on a cellular network and the ability to organize favorite channels. Also included are several new settings and various bug fixes to improve stability. So far the reviews look positive with the only issue being the absence of Howard Stern.

Sirius XM also released a new version of the XM SkyDock app yesterday but unfortunately excluded the ability to multitask. The only update was improved accessory connections while using iOS4.

If you are using the updated iPhone app leave a comment and let us know what you think.

SIRIUS XM Radio Android App Now Available

The Sirius XM Android application is available today, giving users of supported Android-powered smartphones access to over 120 channels of exclusive sports, talk, entertainment, news, comedy and commercial-free music over cellular and WiFi networks.

The SIRIUS XM App for Android-powered smartphones allows users to:

• Listen to over 120 channels of SIRIUS XM Premium Online programming on the go, even while surfing the web or checking email.

• Bookmark SIRIUS XM Premium Online channels for fast, easy access through a “Favorites” function.

• View the current channel plus what is playing on all other channels via the “Lookaround” function.

The SIRIUS XM App is available by visiting www.siriusxm.com/android. The SIRIUS XM App is compatible with a variety of Android-powered smartphones, including DROID by Motorola, DROID INCREDIBLE by HTC, DROID ERIS by HTC, HTC Hero, T-Mobile G1, Motorola CLIQ, and Google Nexus One models. After downloading the free App, users can register for a 7-day free trial to SIRIUS XM Premium Online on their compatible smartphones.

There is no additional charge for listening to SIRIUS XM’s Premium Online programming on an Android-powered smartphone once a user becomes a SIRIUS XM Premium Online subscriber or subscribes to the Company’s Premium Online service in conjunction with their satellite radio subscription.

The Tivoli Audio System… Good Enough for Grandma?

My White Zinfandel-swigging, poker-playing, 1940s music-loving, lead-foot-driving grandma recently turned 86. It’s hard to imagine. So, what do you get an 86 year old for their birthday? When I called her, I asked her. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Karen: “Hi, Nana! You’re having a birthday soon, huh? What would you like for a gift?

Nana: “Great-grandkids.”

Karen: “Oh, Nana… Don’t I need to nail down that husband first?”

Nana: “Not really, sweetie. I’ve been watching that Maury show and none of them have husbands!”

Karen: “I was thinking something along the lines of a Sirius XM Satellite Radio so you can listen to your 1940s music all the time!”

Nana: “Honey, my fingers don’t work as well as they used to because of this damned Arthritis. I appreciate it but I don’t think it’s something I can really set-up. I do love the music though.”

At this point in the conversation I could have given up and sent her something unremarkable.  Of course, I didn’t want to do that and I was convinced that, like me, once she experienced satellite radio, she would instantly love it.  My only dilemma was figuring which product would be best for her.

Luckily, this is something I get to do every day.  I talk to a wide variety of customers that have a wide variety of needs and it’s always fun to be able to figure out the best product for each specific situation.

In my grandma’s case I knew she’d want to listen at home, the radio had to be easy to set up and easy to operate.  I instantly thought of the Tivoli:

http://www.tss-radio.com/refurbished-tivoli-audio-model-satellite-radio-p-7039.html

The Tivoli is a great looking Sirius XM Satellite Radio. It is simple to set-up, but my 86 year old grandma wasn’t very tech savvy, so I wanted to be sure she’d be able to do it. I figured, if I could set it up with minimal effort and not have to bust out any screwdrivers or other tools, she’d be in.

I took a few pics just to show how easy it is.

E-mail me and let me know what your thoughts are: karen [at] tss-radio.com

SIRIUS XM Radio Coming Soon to Android-Powered Phones

SIRIUS XM Radio today announced that a free application for Android-powered smartphones will be available in May, giving consumers access to over 120 channels of sports, talk, entertainment, news, comedy and commercial-free music on the DROID by Motorola and the Google Nexus One.

The free SIRIUS XM App for the DROID and Nexus One will give mobile consumers the freedom to listen to SIRIUS XM Premium Online content on the go on their smartphones over cellular and WiFi networks.

“SIRIUS XM will make it easy and convenient for DROID and Nexus One users to access our superior programming and exclusive content that they can’t get anywhere else,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SIRIUS XM Radio. “We are happy to add the DROID and Nexus One to our growing portfolio of Apps for smartphones that bring subscribers the best in mobile audio entertainment.”

The SIRIUS XM App will give subscribers to SIRIUS or XM Premium Online who own a DROID or Nexus One the ability to access exclusive sports talk and entertainment programming from SIRIUS XM’s satellite radio service. Exclusive programming includes MLB Network Radio, SIRIUS NFL Radio, NHL Home Ice, PGA TOUR, Mad Dog Radio with Chris Russo, CNN, Fox News Talk, NPR, MSNBC, The Foxxhole channel presented by Jamie Foxx, Blue Collar Comedy Radio, The Virus featuring Opie & Anthony, Playboy Radio, Rosie Radio, Oprah Radio, and Martha Stewart Living Radio.

SIRIUS and XM Premium Online subscribers will be able to listen to commercial-free music featuring exclusive programming from SIRIUS XM’s satellite radio service, such as Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour and Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure. Premium Online subscribers can also hear a broad array of 24/7 artist-branded music channels such as The Grateful Dead Channel, Eminem’s Shade 45, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville, “Little Steven” Van Zandt’s Underground Garage and Outlaw Country channels, B.B. King’s Bluesville, Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Place, Elvis Radio, Siriusly Sinatra, and Metropolitan Opera Radio. In addition to the artist branded channels, Premium Online subscribers have access to commercial-free music channels from every genre, such as, dance channel BPM, new country music channel The Highway, and indie rock channel SIRIUS XMU.

Premium Online subscribers will also have access to exclusive online-only showcase channels that feature multiple plays of exclusive programming from SIRIUS XM’s satellite radio service, including such acclaimed shows as Rosie Radio, The Jamie Foxx Show, specials from Blue Collar Comedy and Raw Dog Comedy, selections from the Artist Confidential series, and selections from exclusive live SIRIUS XM music performances, including pop, rock, hip-hop, country, jazz and more.

Certain programming, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, and Howard Stern, will not be available via the SIRIUS XM App for DROID and Nexus One. Listeners will continue to be able to access that programming through the SIRIUS XM platforms where they are currently offered.

The SIRIUS XM App for DROID and Nexus One will allow users to:

• Listen to over 120 channels of SIRIUS XM Premium Online programming on the go, even while surfing the web or checking email.

• Bookmark SIRIUS XM Premium Online channels for fast, easy access through a “Favorites” function.

• View the current channel plus what is playing on all other available channels via the “Lookaround” function.

The SIRIUS XM App for DROID and Nexus One will be available as a free download through the Android Market on the handset or by visiting www.siriusxm.com/android. After downloading the free App, users will then be able to register for a 7-day free trial to SIRIUS XM Premium Online on their compatible smartphones.

To sign up to receive an email with a link to download the free App when it is available, users can also visit www.siriusxm.com/android.

There will be no additional charge for listening to SIRIUS XM’s Premium Online programming on an Android-powered smartphone once a user becomes a SIRIUS XM Premium Online subscriber or subscribes to the Company’s Premium Online service in conjunction with their satellite radio subscription.

SIRIUS XM Radio Now Available on BlackBerry

SIRIUS XM Radio today announced the availability of a free application for BlackBerry smartphones, giving consumers access to over 120 channels of sports, talk, entertainment, news, comedy and commercial-free music on compatible models of the popular BlackBerry devices — the BlackBerry Storm, Bold, Tour and Curve.

The free SIRIUS XM App for BlackBerry gives mobile consumers the freedom to listen to SIRIUS XM’s Premium Online content on the go on their BlackBerry smartphones over cellular and WiFi networks.

“SIRIUS XM makes it easy for BlackBerry users to discover entirely commercial-free music and enjoy audio entertainment they will not find anywhere else,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SIRIUS XM. “We are truly excited to launch the SIRIUS XM App for BlackBerry, giving millions of discerning mobile consumers the ability to take our superior Premium Online programming with them on the go.”

SIRIUS XM App for BlackBerry provides subscribers to SIRIUS or XM Premium Online who own compatible BlackBerry devices the ability to access exclusive sports talk and entertainment programming from SIRIUS XM’s satellite radio service. Exclusive programming includes MLB Home Plate, SIRIUS NFL Radio, NHL Home Ice, PGA TOUR, Mad Dog Radio with Chris Russo, CNN, Fox News Talk, NPR, The Foxxhole channel presented by Jamie Foxx, Blue Collar Comedy Radio, The Virus featuring Opie & Anthony, Playboy Radio, Rosie Radio, Oprah Radio, and Martha Stewart Living Radio.

SIRIUS and XM Premium Online subscribers can listen to commercial-free music featuring exclusive programming from SIRIUS XM’s satellite radio service, such as Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour and Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure. Premium Online subscribers can also hear a broad array of 24/7 artist-branded music channels such as The Grateful Dead Channel, Eminem’s Shade 45, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville, “Little Steven” Van Zandt’s Underground Garage and Outlaw Country channels, B.B. King’s Bluesville, Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Place, Elvis Radio, Siriusly Sinatra, and Metropolitan Opera Radio. In addition, Premium Online subscribers have access to more than 70 commercial-free music channels, such as, dance channel BPM, new country music channel The Highway, and indie rock channel SIRIUS XMU.

Also available to Premium Online subscribers are exclusive showcase channels that feature multiple plays of exclusive programming from SIRIUS XM’s satellite radio service, including such acclaimed shows as Rosie Radio, The Jamie Foxx Show, specials from Blue Collar Comedy and Raw Dog Comedy, selections from the Artist Confidential series, and selections from exclusive live SIRIUS XM music performances, including pop, rock, hip-hop, country, jazz, and more, available for the first time on compatible BlackBerry models.

Select programming, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, and Howard Stern, will not be available via the SIRIUS XM App for BlackBerry. Listeners will continue to be able to access that programming through the SIRIUS XM platforms where they are currently offered.

SIRIUS XM App for BlackBerry allows users to:

• Surf through over 120 channels of SIRIUS XM Premium Online programming on the go.
• Bookmark SIRIUS XM Internet channels for fast, easy access through a “Favorites” function.
• View the current channel plus what is playing on all other available channels via the “Lookaround” function.

SIRIUS XM App for BlackBerry is available as a free download by visiting www.siriusxm.com/blackberry on your computer or BlackBerry browser. After downloading the free App, users of compatible BlackBerry devices can register for a 7-day free trial to SIRIUS XM Premium Online on their smartphone.

At launch, the free App will be available on the following BlackBerry models:

• Storm 9530
• Storm2 9550
• Bold 9000
• Bold 9700
• Tour 9630
• Curve 8900
• Curve 8520
• Curve 8530

There is no additional charge for listening to SIRIUS XM’s Premium Online programming on a BlackBerry once a user becomes a SIRIUS XM Premium Online Internet subscriber or subscribes to the Company’s Premium Online service in conjunction with their satellite radio subscription.

Audiovox Adds XMp3i Portable Satellite Radio to Lineup

Audiovox Corporation announced today at CES that it will be supplying the XMp3i from SIRIUS XM Radio as part of its line-up. XMp3i will carry an MSRP of $229.95.

XMp3i is SIRIUS XM’s smallest and most innovative portable satellite radio and MP3 player. Loaded with features, the XMp3i is capable of recording up to 100 hours of live XM programming, including up to 10 hours of songs from XM’s commercial-free music channels, and gives users the ability to pause, rewind and replay up to 30 minutes of live satellite radio at the touch of a button.

The XMp3i also features SIRIUS XM’s revolutionary PowerConnect(TM) technology.

Tom Malone, president of Audiovox Electronics Corporation stated, “The addition of this innovative new model further strengthens the SIRUS XM line that we supply and further expands our relationship with SIRIUS XM. We believe there is an appetite among consumers for this product and we look forward to placing it with our retail customers.”

In addition, an enhanced Programming Guide provides subscribers with more ways than ever to discover their favorite shows and music. XMp3i is also compatible with “The Best of SIRIUS” programming package, and boasts a slot for a microSD(TM) memory card to make it easy for listeners to add and enjoy more of their personal music library.

Audiovox CES booth is located at 11006-10506.

Sorry no pictures yet.

SIRIUS Traffic Available on Model Year 2010 Mercedes-Benz Vehicles

Mercedes-Benz USA and SIRIUS XM Radio today announced that SIRIUS Traffic is available on all Mercedes-Benz 2010 Model Year vehicles equipped with navigation and SIRIUS satellite radio.

SIRIUS Traffic is expected to be installed in 70% of the Mercedes-Benz Model Year 2010 lineup, and will be standard on the S-Class, CL-Class, CLS-Class and G-Class models.

SIRIUS Traffic comes pre-activated with a six-month trial subscription for Mercedes-Benz customers along with a six-month trial subscription of the “SIRIUS Everything” satellite radio package.

SIRIUS Traffic provides traffic speed and flow information to vehicles over SIRIUS’ nationwide satellite radio network. SIRIUS Traffic also provides information on traffic incidents, scheduled road closings and road construction. Since SIRIUS Traffic is integrated with the vehicle’s navigation system, the service assists drivers in picking the quickest, safest routes based on real-time traffic conditions.

“SIRIUS Traffic will benefit Mercedes-Benz drivers with traffic information to help them navigate through our country’s major roadways,” said Sascha Simon, Department Manager, Advanced Product Planning, MBUSA. “We are pleased to add this service to SIRIUS’ audio entertainment in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”

“Mercedes-Benz is a renowned brand, famous for its exceptional performance and technology,” said Steve Cook, Group Vice President and General Manager, Automotive Division, SIRIUS XM Radio. “SIRIUS XM is thrilled to make the SIRIUS Traffic service available on new 2010 Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”

For information on SIRIUS XM Radio and SIRIUS Traffic, visit www.sirius.com/traffic.

XM SkyDock Featured in Apple iPhone Holiday Gift Guide

The SkyDock is getting some more attention from Apple again, this time in the form of a new Holiday Sales campaign. A recent Email features the SkyDock which is also listed on their new Holiday Gift Guide web page.

As I mentioned before in previous posts it really nice to see Sirius XM advertising and getting their products out there this Holiday Season.

I’m still hearing positive things about the SkyDock and I expecting  Sirius XM to post some great numbers for this final quarter of the year.