satellites

Sirius-XM merger: No static at all

Updated at 4:45 p.m. PDT to clarify that portable receivers are capable of receiving live program signals.

The marriage of satellite radio providers Sirius and XM has finally received the blessing of the Federal Communications Commission on Friday. Now we can all finally get the game we want.

For many prospective customers, a key sticking point was the different selections of sports programming offered exclusively by each provider. A few years back, I wanted to make a present of a Sirius subscription to a friend who spends a lot of time driving around Northern California, especially in places … Read more

XM, Sirius detail potential FCC consent decree

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio confirmed on Thursday that they are discussing a possible consent decree with the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to bring their 17-month merger effort to a conclusion.

The FCC, while inching closer to a resolution since this summer, has had concerns over compliance with commission rules. One concern regards radios with FM transmitters, and the other concern regards transmitters with terrestrial repeaters.

XM and Sirius noted that a possible consent decree with the FCC could include their agreement to:

Adopt comprehensive compliance plans and take steps to address any potentially noncompliant radios … Read more

XM-Sirius merger heads to home stretch

After more than a year of kicking the tires on a proposed merger between XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Radio, the Federal Communications Commission has reached a tentative deal with the companies, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The report, however, notes that FCC commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, seen as the swing vote, has yet to vote on the proposed merger, but is expected to take the plunge shortly.

According to the Journal, Tate is expected to vote to approve the deal, provided that a consent decree is drafted that would call for a fine … Read more

Toshiba's Centrino 2 offering: 3 biz laptops

On Monday, Toshiba celebrated the release of Centrino 2 by announcing three new business laptops built on the new platform: the Tecra M10, Tecra A10, and Satellite Pro S300.

Designed for large businesses, the 14-inch Tecra M10 and 15-inch Tecra A10 incorporate Centrino 2 components and vPro technology for remote management, plus a common motherboard and image that the company claims will make service and support easier for IT departments. Both Tecra systems also offer the option of a 64GB or 128GB solid-state drive, and they incorporate Toshiba's EasyGuard technologies, which include hard drive protection, spill-resistant keyboards, fingerprint readers … Read more

Intel Centrino 2 due Monday: HP notebook makes appearance

Update July 11, 8:40 a.m. PDT with additional information on Toshiba notebooks and correction of integrated graphics chipset shipment date.

With Intel's rollout of Centrino 2 processors due Monday, Hewlett-Packard is not wasting any time in readying new notebooks, including a 17-inch model offering at least four of the new processors and 64-bit Windows.

Intel will roll out "Montevina" Centrino 2 processors including the P8400 (2.26GHz), P8600 (2.40GHz), P9500 (2.53GHz), and T9600 (2.80GHz). The 3.06GHz X9100 Extreme processor is also expected to debut.

P7XXX series processors, such as the 2.… Read more

AT&T ends Dish satellite TV partnership

Satellite TV provider Dish Network said Tuesday that AT&T will end its agreement to bundle its TV service with AT&T's broadband and phone service at the end of the year.

AT&T and Dish have had a joint marketing deal since July 2003, which allows AT&T to package the Dish TV service with AT&T's phone and Internet packages. But AT&T has decided not to renew the agreement, and as required by the contract between the two companies, AT&T is giving Dish six months notice that … Read more

How to camouflage a satellite dish

There's not much good to say about a satellite dish sticking out from the side of your house. Depending on your part of town, it might either be stolen or the source of endless carping from aesthetically offended neighbors.

To deal with such urban complications, a few blokes who run a U.K.-based company called Sqish have come up with a solution that's either ridiculous or innovative--or ridiculously innovative, depending on your point of view. For about $300, they'll stick your satellite antenna in a compact box camouflaged with a custom sticker designed to blend into … Read more

Satellite phones shrink down to size

With mobile coverage available in almost any area with a decent population size, satellite phones may seem to be heading into the annals of history (much like Call Zone phones which were available over a decade ago). But when I was traveling in the Amazon jungle where the eco-lodge was at least an hour away by speedboat from modern civilization, having a satellite phone could well have made the difference between life and death in an emergency. This could also be the case for those working on ocean-faring ships, which may be stuck in the middle of nowhere for weeks … Read more

EMI and XM Satellite Radio reach settlement

EMI Group is the latest major music label to reach a settlement with XM Satellite Radio over the Pioneer Inno device, the companies announced Tuesday.

EMI, one of several music labels that filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against XM in May 2006, is withdrawing from the complaint. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The initial lawsuit stems from XM's Pioneer Inno, which has the capability to record and store music delivered over satellite radio. EMI, along with other major music labels, had contended that the device could violate their copyrights.

With the settlement, EMI is joining Universal Music … Read more

FCC decision on XM-Sirius merger coming soon

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday he expects the agency to make a decision soon about the Sirius Satellite Radio merger with rival XM Satellite Radio.

Martin said during an interview on CNBC's Squawk on the Street Thursday that he expected the commission to "do something soon." But he defended the long review process by saying that the deal was "extraordinary" and raised difficult issues. Specifically, he said the FCC already had a rule in place that prohibited the merger of the two satellite radio companies.

Originally, the agency barred satellite radio companies … Read more