Little radio, big price
Would you pay $250 for a pocket radio? What if I told you it picks up signals from outer space?
Mind you, the signals originated right here on earth. You've heard them before - news, sports, weather, the greatest hits from the 1970s. Only these radio programs offer a lot more variety than their AM and FM counterparts, and fewer Home Depot commercials.
That's why about 19 million people in North America have signed up for satellite radio service, paying between $10 and $17 a month for the privilege. Most use it in their cars, though it's also popular in many homes. But you don't often find people toting satellite radios in their pockets, the way we used to do with the transistor radios of my youth, or today's Apple iPods.
Japanese electronics maker Pioneer hopes to change that with its XMP3, a satellite radio that's smaller than the average cellphone. I fear it's a doomed effort, and not only due to the XMP3's steep price. I suspect the entire satellite radio industry is living on borrowed time, as earthbound wireless technology becomes cheaper and more robust.
The XMP3 is designed for one of the country's two satellite radio networks - XM Satellite Radio. Yet XM recently merged with its rival Sirius. And yesterday the two companies unveiled a plan to share many popular programs at no added cost. In addition, XM subscribers can pay an extra $4.04 a month to listen to some premium Sirius fare, such as shock jock Howard Stern. You can get it all with the Pioneer XMP3, and tote it around in your pocket. Sort of.
Reception is a problem. The stubby little antenna often loses track of the satellite signal when the XMP3 is tucked in a jacket pocket. It comes with a bigger plug-in antenna for use in a car or at home - a tacit admission that it's hard to snare satellite radio signals on a pocket-size device.
But the XMP3 has a clever way of making amends. It can be programmed to record audio from up to five channels. Use this feature when the device is sitting at home in its docking station, attached to a proper antenna for good reception. Then when you're out and about, you can listen to recorded XM programs when the satellite signal isn't up to par. It can also be programmed to record particular shows. And there's a micro-SD memory card slot to add memory and use the XMP3 as an iPod substitute. Plug it into a personal computer, load your favorite tunes, and listen all day. Or for about four hours, anyway - that's how long the battery lasts.
In all, the XMP3 is a pretty good try at delivering the diversity of satellite radio in an ultraportable format. Pretty good, but not good enough. Not in the age of 3G smartphone service.
Millions of us carry iPhones, BlackBerries, and other high-end phones, and pay an extra $30 or so a month for 3G data plans to get e-mail or visit favorite websites. But if you have such a phone, you can already get a vast amount of high-quality audio free of charge via the Internet.
For example, the popular Pandora music website lets users build custom audio channels devoted to musical favorites. I've created channels for movie music composer Henry Mancini and a popular 1940s singing group, the Mills Brothers, because that's just how I roll. But you can dial up T-Pain, Metallica, or Mozart just as easily. Pandora software is available for the iPhone, as well as many other phones on the AT&T and Sprint cellular networks.
There's also FlyCast, an online service that links to hundreds of Internet audio streams. FlyCast software runs on the iPhone and on newer BlackBerry phones with 3G access, such as the BlackBerry Bold and the upcoming touch screen Storm.
Either Pandora or FlyCast delivers far more variety than satellite radio services.
If you're already paying for an unlimited data plan, you can listen to either of them at no extra cost. And when you're done listening, your phone lets you play games, surf the Internet, or just make phone calls - none of which can be done with the XMP3.
Yes, it does pick up music from outer space, and that's worth something - but not $250.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com. 