It's obvious (to me, anyway) that online radio services such as Slacker and Pandora will kill satellite radio, but that's no reason for Sirius XM to stop plugging away. I mean, clearly the Yankees will win the World Series, but the Phillies are going to give it a shot anyway.
Sirius XM's latest attempt is the XM SkyDock. In an effort to get in with the hip young iPhone crowd, the satellite company has released an iPhone/iPod Touch dock that lets you listen to satellite radio in your car using your favorite player.
Sound good? Let's count the problems: It has an FM transmitter, which usually delivers poor sound. You can connect an auxiliary cord for better sound, but then it looks messy. The press picture doesn't show the required antenna attachment, another messy wire. You can't get Sirius content by itself; you need to subscribe to XM and get the “Best of Sirius" package as an add-on. It lists for $119.
Management at the merged Sirius XM hasn't been making it easy on its customers. It already offers an iPhone app for program streaming, but that one requires a premium subscription and doesn't include some of the most popular channels. The best alternative is still to download the free Pandora or Slacker apps and connect your iPhone or iPod Touch to your car radio with an inexpensive audio cable. Keep trying, Sirius XM!
Sirius XM's latest attempt is the XM SkyDock. In an effort to get in with the hip young iPhone crowd, the satellite company has released an iPhone/iPod Touch dock that lets you listen to satellite radio in your car using your favorite player.
Sound good? Let's count the problems: It has an FM transmitter, which usually delivers poor sound. You can connect an auxiliary cord for better sound, but then it looks messy. The press picture doesn't show the required antenna attachment, another messy wire. You can't get Sirius content by itself; you need to subscribe to XM and get the “Best of Sirius" package as an add-on. It lists for $119.
Management at the merged Sirius XM hasn't been making it easy on its customers. It already offers an iPhone app for program streaming, but that one requires a premium subscription and doesn't include some of the most popular channels. The best alternative is still to download the free Pandora or Slacker apps and connect your iPhone or iPod Touch to your car radio with an inexpensive audio cable. Keep trying, Sirius XM!
