Crave

That blurry thing under the display is the SR-H2000.

(Credit: Sirius XM)

I went to Sirius XM's New York City headquarters on Wednesday to see what's new. They showed a bunch of docking units and the like, but the only new product that got my juices flowing was a new home tuner, the sleek-looking SR-H2000.

You might think a brand new Sirius tuner (not a table radio) intended to be used with a stereo or home theater system would also offer access to all XM channels, but that's not the case. Sirius subscribers can add "The Best of XM" package for a small upcharge on their monthly bill.

The SR-H2000 includes a wired 12-volt IR input, a menu-selected RS232 control, and an F-type antenna connector. By adding a SIRIUSConnect Tuner or Home Dock, the SR-H2000 can play two different channels simultaneously in separate rooms.

The SR-H2000 features a video output that can be used to display the user interface and programming information on your TV. The included rackmount hardware allows the SR-H2000 to be mounted flush with the front of a rack. You can pause and replay up to 44 minutes of live satellite radio.

No one at Sirius mentioned sound quality, and why would they? It's pretty miserable and I doubt the SR-H2000 will improve my opinion of Sirius' sound.

The new SR-H2000 will be available in the fall primarily through custom installers and specialty retailers for a suggested retail price of $349.

At double the sonic boom of the original, the Max II is the only one in the X-mini family to deliver more directional stereo.

(Credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

The MP3-playing Xmini Happy is slated for a September launch as well.

(Credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

Five months after the X-mini Max II and MP3-playing X-mini Happy were announced, they're finally ready to ship globally come mid next month. According to Singapore company XM-I, both speakers have had their drivers fine-tuned for better sound playback. Certainly, when we got a demo of the tweaked Max II, it was a blast.

Generation two of the X-mini Max will retail for $59. In addition to the white prototype we saw in April, there will now be two additional color choices: black and red. The volume dial now sits on the cable.

For X-mini fans concerned about the loss of portability with the significantly bulkier Max II, CEO Ryan Lee told CNET Asia that this latest iteration will be as large as the series gets, with the intent being to obtain the best directional stereo sound possible out of a pair of portable speakers. The hood, angled cones, and bigger drivers have inevitably led to the Max II gaining more girth.

Meanwhile, battery life maxes out at a claimed 12 hours, similar to the X-mini II's mono outing.

Meanwhile, the MP3 playback-capable Happy doesn't yet have a price tag, but we're told it will be bundled with a 2GB SD card.

Both speakers come standard with the buddy-jack system, which allows users to daisy-chain as many X-mini units as they desire to crank up the decibels.

(Source: Crave Asia)

(Credit: Sirius XM)

Like satellite radio, but don't want to deal with the kludge-y "dock and play" satellite radios that clutter up your car's dashboard? The XM SkyDock could be for you. It looks little different than your average iPod car charger, but the SkyDock has a satellite tuner built in. Pop in any iPhone or iPod Touch, run the free SkyDock control app, and the Apple handheld is transformed into a touch-screen control for the satellite radio service.

The app automatically adjusts to landscape (shown) or portrait mode, and the audio stream can be sent either via line-out or the company's "PowerConnect" system, which transmits the audio to most standard car radios via the car's electrical system. Because the SkyDock is plugged into the car's 12-volt power adapter, it also charges the iPhone/iPod Touch while it's in use. We got a brief hands-on demo of the SkyDock earlier today at a Sirius XM event, and it looked to be working smoothly, even with beta software.

Why invest in the SkyDock rather than just firing up the Sirius XM app on your iPhone? The app, as has been widely observed, omits much of "the good stuff." Rights issues preclude many of the service's keystone channels, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, Nascar Radio, and Howard Stern. By contrast, because it's a full-fledged over-the-air satellite radio, the SkyDock offers the entire Sirius XM catalog, including those stations.

The SkyDock app also enables iTunes tagging: hear a song you like on one of the music stations, and a touch of the screen will tag it for later download on iTunes. Naturally, the SkyDock will also play music stored on your iPhone/iPod. (Whether that includes audio from other iPhone apps--such as Pandora, Last.fm, and the like--wasn't specified.) (Note: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News.)

The XM SkyDock will be available this fall for $120. In addition to a compatible iPod Touch or iPhone (any model that runs iPhone OS 3.0 will work), you'll need a valid Sirius XM subscription.

(Credit: XM Sirius)

Many (but not all) of the XM Sirius satellite radio audio channels are also available online to subscribers, for a small additional fee. The browser-based service is great for listening in those places where you don't--or can't--have a satellite radio rig set up, such as an interior room of an office building (or any other room without a window). And now, XM Sirius is offering a dedicated device for listening to its online streams: the Sirius TTR1 Internet Radio.

The tabletop radio connects to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet to access the satcaster's online audio service, which actually offers better quality than the over-the-air streams. The TTR1 also doubles as a dual alarm clock and has 10 presets for saving your favorite stations. The display shows the XM Sirius programming information (channel, artist, track, and so on), and it has a built-in light sensor that auto-dims the display to the room's ambient lighting, so it won't light up the room while you're trying to sleep. A standard credit card-size remote is thrown in as well.

Want to listen to something besides XM Sirius? If that's the case, the TTR1 isn't for you. It has a line-in jack for outside audio sources, but that's it--there's no support for the myriad other online audio services, including plain old Internet radio. If that interests you, we'd suggest a Grace Internet Radio (which streams free Pandora and thousands of standard Internet radio stations in addition to XM Sirius). Spend even more, and you can upgrade to the Logitech Squeezebox Boom, which handles all those services, plus Last.fm, Rhapsody, and several more services to boot.

Still, even with the TTR1's Sirius-only feature set, we can envision it being a hit for those who just want a dedicated device for listening to Howard Stern. His channels--along with nearly all of the commercial-free music stations--will be readily available on the TTR1. (Some key sports, talk, and entertainment channels are not available--consult the Sirius FAQ for more information.)

The Sirius TTR1 will cost $150 when it hit stores this fall.

Does the TTR1 interest you? Or would you prefer a more full-featured Internet radio product that also offers other Internet audio options? Share your opinion below.

Update 6/18, 9 AM EST: Sirius XM indeed launched its iPhone app early this morning. Alas, Howard Stern, MLB and NFL aren't available as part of the package but you can listen to 120 channels on an iPhone over 3G and Wi-Fi (and on an iPod Touch). We'll have full commentary up shortly but needless to say, some folks are already expressing their disappointment.

Rumors of the impending arrival of an Sirius XM iPhone/iPod Touch app have been circulating for several months, but there's now some hard evidence that the app will be arriving as soon as tomorrow, June 18.

TUAW, the "unofficial Apple Weblog," is citing a customer service e-mail that has gone out to Sirius subscribers who've inquired about an app:

Thank you for contacting SIRIUS regarding whether or not there is a SIRIUS iPhone application available. We are here to help! We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us in regards to this matter! We are happy to inform you that beginning June 18 a SIRIUS Internet Radio application will be available at the Apple iTunes App-Store for the iPhone and the iPod Touch! All Premium SIRIUS Internet Radio subscribers will be able to download the application from the Apple iTunes App-Store for free on their device and access the service at no additional cost! Subscribers who are listening to the Basic Online Service for free must first upgrade to the Premium Online Service for $2.99 per month to access the application on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

We assume XM subscribers will be offered a similar package, but we're in touch with the Sirius XM PR folks to get all the details, including what channels will be available, as soon as the company is willing to release them. The obvious appeal of all this is the ability to get XM Sirius on the go--or bring it to your home audio system via your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Anybody excited to get their hands on this app?

Additional reading: Sirius XM tuning in to iPhone application.

(Source: TUAW via Engadget)

The volume dial's gone, giving the X-mini Max II the streamlined looks of the Sony Rolly. Just don't expect it to beep, whistle and boogie to music like the latter.

(Credit: Kelvin Low/CNET)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Well, the guys behind the red-dot-winning X-mini capsule speakers are taking a design leap of faith with the X-mini Max II. Instead of the grenade appearance of the Max, the next-gen stereo speakers have taken on a "Star Wars" drone look with cone heads. While we're told the material and colors may be different come the May global launch, the Max II's exposed and angled tops are intended to "open out" the speakers for more focused sounds.

The pumped-up girth also ensures more space for a bigger driver. If we thought the Max was already bombastic enough to wake up a few banshees, CEO Ryan Lee says the Max II will "nearly double" the sonic prowess of the original. That doesn't yet factor in the buddy-jack system where the user can daisy-chain as many X-mini units as he likes to crank up the decibels.

Other than the design makeover, the Max II retains the cool magnetic base design of the former to hold both speakers together, which kind of gives this resculpted X-mini a rather Sony Rolly look. The accordian vacuum bass also remains, to give the Max II its boom. What we did notice missing was the volume dial, with control now relegated to the player that the speakers are hooked up to.

Generation two sees the tweeter tweaked with a splash of color.

(Credit: XM-I)

It's a mark of achievement when competitors start making clones of your product. Apple's one such trendsetter, and XM-I may be another. Though definitely not in the big boys league, the Singapore-based company has blown us away over the years with its "little speakers, mighty sounds" innovative spunk. Having scored a red-dot winner with its first X-mini outing, and following this up with the X-mini Max stereo and its clever magnetic hamburger halves, it's now continuing the momentum with the X-mini II.

At first glance, generation two is incrementally larger than its pocket-size predecessor at about 2.9 ounces, though the audio boost is also markedly enhanced, thanks to a larger 40mm driver. When we tried both out on a laptop, the ramp-up in sonics was clearly audible. However, heavy beats and the larger driver caused the X-mini II to play hopscotch across the table, unlike the X-mini, though this is a minor gripe.

But what's a lot more interesting is the new buddy jack with a built-in 3.5mm audio cable that's designed to tuck away neatly into the base. XM-I CEO Ryan Lee told CNET Asia that the new feature is more modular, letting users form an almost endless daisy chain of their X-mini IIs for more volume. It's frightfully loud, all right.

In a demo where they rigged up seven speakers, it got so deafening in the Lab that our senior editor almost cried mama. We did note that linking two together will still give you mono sounds, though the bass-enhanced impact of several booming speakers made the difference moot.

(Credit: CNET/Corinne Schulze)

If satellite radio has a corner on any market, it's in the car, and with the increasingly narrow selection offered by terrestrial radio in many areas, it's no wonder. But for those who want to listen to Sirius or XM at the gym, in the train, or on the streets, the selection is a bit more limited, namely because many portable receivers aren't as adept at picking up satellite signals due to the small size of the units, and thus, their antennae.

With the Inno XMP3 for XM, Pioneer aims to offer the most compact device while still retaining reasonable reception. For on-the-go use, the $279 device fairs well, but it doesn't hold a signal as well as an in-car unit with an extended antenna. Still, the recording features are well-implemented and the memory-expansion slot supports high-capacity cards--both big pluses for a satellite radio receiver.

Read the Pioneer Inno XMP3 review.