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Satellite Radios<br />
Satellite radio is more than just digital FM, and these XM and Sirius units take full<br />
advantage of the medium by offering an abundance of onscreen info. —E.A.<br />
Automotive<br />
EDITORS’<br />
PICK<br />
Delphi SKYFi3<br />
$200 • shop.xmradio.com<br />
Drop too much coin on your spinners? This lightweight, affordable,<br />
portable XM receiver delivers what you need without breaking the piggy<br />
bank. It stores up to 10 hours of programming, plays MP3 files (via a Micro<br />
SD card), and can pause and play back live XM. Recorded tracks are easy<br />
to access and navigate should you stray out of range. Lightweight without<br />
being insubstantial, it’s a boon to gear-laden road warriors.<br />
WIRED Big, bright 2.8-inch screen is easy on the eyes and adjusts to<br />
landscape or portrait mode. Effortless recording of favorite tracks.<br />
TIRED Small, awkwardly placed multifunction buttons are annoying.<br />
Must buy $50 headphone-antenna combo to use unit out of car dock.<br />
Delphi XpressRC<br />
$170 • shop.xmradio.com<br />
It’s amazing that it took so long for color to come to mobile satellite radio<br />
displays. The XpressRC not only dispenses with grayscale, it boasts a truly<br />
diversified display that sets a new standard for sat radio: A split screen<br />
shows the current XM station on the left, and the artists or programs<br />
airing on up to three additional stations on the right. Unit also saves<br />
60 minutes of programming, so you can pause or rewind content.<br />
WIRED Tune Select feature scans for your favorite tracks and artists.<br />
Glossy black finish makes the standard-issue gray plastic on most<br />
other units look prehistoric. Inexpensive.<br />
TIRED Songsaver lets you create a 10-song library: borderline useless.<br />
Pioneer Inno<br />
$250 • shop.xmradio.com<br />
The sturdy little Inno is by far the most versatile satellite radio yet, perfect<br />
for shuttling from the car to the jogging trail and back. The built-in antenna<br />
gets excellent reception, and the car stereo FM tran<strong>sm</strong>itter proved equally<br />
clear. It will play recorded XM programming—up to 50 hours—as well as<br />
uploaded MP3 and WMA files. Excellent sound quality and <strong>sm</strong>artly backlit<br />
buttons for easy control in dark settings.<br />
WIRED Scheduling recordings is easy with included software. Buffer lets<br />
you capture full songs even if you start recording late.<br />
TIRED Navigation within your favorite channels is less than intuitive,<br />
requiring one too many steps to cycle through presets. Software is PC only.<br />
Sirius Sportster 4<br />
$150 • shop.sirius.com<br />
For hardcore sports fans, there’s no defeating the Sportster 4, which takes<br />
full advantage of the generally superior play-by-play action on Sirius. The<br />
Sportster 4 can prompt you when the game starts or the score changes<br />
and will display your favorite teams’ scores on its screen while you’re listening<br />
to something else. The FM tran<strong>sm</strong>itter is a bit anemic, but changing<br />
stations when interference strikes is easier than with most receivers.<br />
WIRED Dedicated sports features will keep rabid fans happy. “One-touchjump”<br />
feature lets you quickly flip to the local traffic or weather report.<br />
TIRED Big, clunky car dock. Rotary tuning knob buried in recessed cup<br />
will probably cause fat-fingered users to fumble.
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