Sirius unveiled a whole slew of new devices and services yesterday. Three in particular caught my attention:
I’m a gadget guy and I like portables, so the WiFi-enabled Stiletto appeals to me. I found the first generation slightly too large, so this 25% size reduction has resulted in a sleeker package. Both Stiletto models outshine my XM Helix in the beauty department, and more importantly, they offer a couple of home docking solutions. Interestingly, Steven Chalker, the only person I know who regularly used a Stiletto intends to sell it and stream Sirius to a TMobile MDA instead. (Was Zing was involved with v2? Surely not v3…) Expect the Stiletto 2, with souped up Altec Lansing headset, to ship this fall @ $350.
Satellite radio is now… satellite TV! Well, before the holidays. Hopefully… Since we remember seeing this demo before and hearing of a Spring ’07 launch. Assuming this comes to pass, the $300 Backseat TV unit will pull down Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel (for $6.99/mo extra) to your minivan.
Whole home audio streamer Sonos is providing 80 stations of Sirius (via the Internet) to their devices. Existing Sirius customers can add service for $2.99/mo, otherwise it’s the full $12.95/mo. Sonos doesn’t come cheap, but everyone I know with units swear by them. If I didn’t flip gadgets (and methods of acquiring media) so frequently, I’d look into investing.
Bonus Coverage: Orbitcast scored an interview of Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin. I’ve got to wonder, with all this cool stuff, do they really need XM?
