It’s been a while since the two players in the U.S. satellite radio market have announced new hardware&madsh;what with trying to merge reduce the U.S. market to a single satellite radio operator, perhaps they’ve been otherwise occupied. But since XM announced its new XpressRC receiver earlier this week, Sirius seems to have decided to let loose with a flurry of new product announcements, including a new portable player, a new Dock & Play radio, and a satellite radio receiver that can tune into three channels of “Sirius Backseat TV.”
First up, the Sirius Stiletto 2 improves on Sirius’ previous portable radio, enabling users to store up to 100 hours of scheduled programming and improved WiFi wireless capability for tuning into Sirius Internet Radio (available for an additional subscription charge) via WiFi hotspots. The Stiletto 2 also sports a 2.3-inch LCD display, supports playback of MP3/WMA audio, and offers a microSD slot so users can carry around a portion of their personal music collection if, for whatever reason, Sirius’ bevy off programming options aren’t doing it for them. The device also features a “Love” button, which (no, it doesn’t vibrate) stores individual songs heard live on any Sirius channel for future playback.
“With Stiletto 2, Sirius is making the personal music player better for listeners, raising the bar in the field of audio entertainment,” said Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin, in a release. “Stiletto 2 makes it easy to discover new music, and to carry Sirius’ virtually unlimited variety of sports, talk, and commercial-free music wherever you go.”
The Stiletto 2 should be available in “fall 2007” (you know how these seasonal references irk us!) at a suggested price of $349.99.
If you’re looking for a car-and-home solution, Sirius has also announced its Sportster 5 Dock & Play radio. The new unit features a six-line color display which users can adjust to match dashboards or other lighting, the capability to pause and rewind up to 60 minutes of live radio, and FM transmitter and stereo audio output for getting Sirius content into car and home audio systems, 30 station presets, an alarm clock, and a “Sports Alert” feature that lets users track their favorite sports figures and teams. The Sportster 5 will come with a vehicle kit for mounting and installation; expect the Sportster 5 in “fall 2007” with a suggested price of $169.99. If that’s a little much, Sirius also plans to offer an easy-to-install InV2 in-vehicle radio for just $39.99.
