The wearable Sirius S50, slated for October shipping at $359 (including a car dock), meshes satellite radio with an MP3 player. It’s 1.9 by 3.9 inches and 0.7 inches thick, has a color screen, can hold up to 50 hours and comes with a six-hour rechargeable battery.Features include the ability to save music and schedule recording of favorite shows as well as dock the player to a computer to download MP3/WMA files. Another feature blends programming from a subscriber’s three favorite channels.
The price is high but so is the appeal factor, at least where this Sirius sub is concerned. It extends the value of the monthly subscription by giving the subscriber more access and more ways to make the most of it. The recording and storage features take antenna strength out of the portability equation as long as live play is not a priority. Accesories include home and executive stereo setups. Press release.
Update:Merrill Lynch analyst Laraine Mancini describes the S50 as “portable, but not truly portable yet” as it requires a docking station to access live content. That makes it an intermediate product. Mancini sees diminishing technological differences between Sirius and competitior XM “making content a more important factor in consumers’ decision, especially in the retail market.” She gives Sirius the content edge for now.
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