Internet Radio

Sirius XM finally announced today that they are getting into the BlackBerry game by offering access to a 120 channels of programming on the BlackBerry Storm, Bold, Tour, and Curve.

The best news? The new Sirius XM BlackBerry application will come with a free 7 day trial for new users. Do I wish it was 30 days? One has to wonder if it will be tough to get a real taste of the breadth all this programming in such a short amount of time.

The worst news? Once again, Howard Stern will not be on the BlackBerry mobile app. This comes as no surprise as The Howard Stern Show was a glaring omission on the Sirius XM iPhone application…sigh.

The future seems to be looking up for the Sirius XM mobile offerings and I am hopeful that they are ready to take this mobile thing a little more seriously. They now have a dedicated Sirius XM mobile page up… now that it is, lets make sure we add Windows, Palm, and Android support like Pandora.

Rogue Amoeba, the guys with the strange name who have been making great software for the Mac OS X since 2002 have released a new application called Pulsar, which allows Mac fans to access the Sirius or XM Internet Radio feed without a browser.

For those who may be interested there is a free preview which plays for a full 20 minutes before it ads a little noise overlay to motivate users to purchase a license key for just $15. The application is still effectively in beta and we will be sure to keep you updated as soon as it hits version 1.0.

Stay tuned as I am sure this is just a taste of what is to come now that application developers around the net are realizing that satellite radio is not just some fad.

[via TUAW]

Sirius satellite radio is moving a bit deeper into the realm of Internet radio. Sirius Internet Radio streaming has been available for quite some time as a computer standalone or with units such as the Stiletto 2 and SONOS that use a WiFi connection to allow users to stream content. This latest move with the popular Squeezebox from Logitech allows users to gain access to programming in yet another way, while also allowing full access to all Internet audio music.

Sirius Internet Radio is compatible with all three of Logitech’s streaming media products for the home. The Logitech network music players will connect directly to Sirius Internet Radio, providing a seamless and easy set-up. Utilizing a home broadband connection via Wi-Fi or a wired network connection, listeners can stream Sirius.

With the new Squeezebox Duet network music system, music lovers can listen to SIRIUS on the home-entertainment system in their living room, the stereo system in their bedroom, even on the mini-system in their kitchen and control it all from the palm of their hand. The Logitech Squeezebox network music player is the easiest way to listen to music stored on Macs and PCs as well as virtually any Internet radio station through a stereo system. For true audiophiles, the Logitech Transporter network music player streams audiophile-quality digital music with sound that surpasses even the most exotic compact disc players.

“By offering content from SIRIUS over our Squeezebox and Transporter network music players, our customers can now experience SIRIUS’ streaming content on their home entertainment systems,” added Robin Selden, Vice President and General Manager of Logitech’s Streaming Media business unit. “From its commercial-free music channels to its exclusive talk content, SIRIUS’ programming will supplement the entertainment experience offered by Logitech’s network music players. And now with our newest Squeezebox controller, music lovers can turn on SIRIUS from the comfort of their couch.”

Logitech plans to make the Sirius Internet Radio service available to existing Squeezebox and Transporter users via a software update.

Position – Long Sirius, No Position LOGI

Sirius Buzz Radio airs each Thursday night at 10:30 PM Eastern time. Shows are live and we invite callers to participate. If you miss the live show, you can always catch up with the events by logging onto our archived shows at www.blogtalkradio.com/sirius-buzz-radio. You can simply listen or download the shows.

Because we are seeing positive response to the shows, we are increasing the time on air from 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you have not listened yet, please visit the site and listen to the shows. Sirius Buzz radio gives topical information, and takes questions from callers.

If you like the show, pass the word, mark Sirius Buzz Radio as a favorite, rate the shows, and leave your comments. If you have a suggestion for a show topic please forward it to tyler@siriusbuzz.com. Lastly, we would like to appeal to you the reader and listener for some help.

If you have the ability to create cool bumpers to open and close the show please feel free to submit them. If they are good they will be put on the air. Simply drop me an email.

The next show is Thursday May 1, 2008 at 10:30 PM Eastern.

Position – Long Sirius, XM

In a filing with the FCC, auto maker General Motors has asked that the FCC not only allow the merger between Sirius and XM, but that the bandwidth that the two satellite radio services have remain in tact. There have been some organizations such as Primoshere and Georgetown Partners that would like bandwidth taken away should the merger b e allowed.

This letter from GM offers a strong argument as to why the bandwidth should be preserved. GM has manufactured 6,500,000 vehicles with XM satellite radio. General Motors wants to ensure that their customers do not have to switch out hardware because spectrum is taken away.

Sirius and XM have always planned various concessions for this merger, but the sacrifice of bandwidth would be a very expensive proposition, and could even be a deal breaker. As many are aware, Sirius and XM each have 25% of the original bandwidth that was to be allocated to SDARS. The other half of the bandwidth was taken away from SDARS in Congress prior to launch of services.

Sirius and XM utilize differing codecs, and radio are not necessarily able to tune into or have the ability to be modified to accept the signal of the the full spectrum. Wherever the status of this, GM clearly outlines that the receivers installed in their vehicles are only capable of receiving XM, and thus the bandwidth that these receivers can tune to needs to be preserved.

Primosphere and Georgetown Partners seem to be seeking a kind of bandwidth welfare. In the case of Primoshere, a company that was originally a bidder for the spectrum, they seek access to one of the SDARS licenses. Georgetown Partners wants up to 20% of the bandwidth, and access to the existing infrastructure to put on what they term as diverse programming.

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SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Sonos have collaborated to provide SIRIUS subscribers with an exciting new way to wirelessly stream SIRIUS all over the house and control it all from the palm of their hand.

Sonos connects directly to SIRIUS Internet Radio which will eliminate the need for an antenna, satellite radio hardware, or a PC. Sonos is the first broadband-delivered, PC-free solution designed specifically for home use.

With the Sonos controller you can chose a room, channel, and hit play in up to 32 rooms. As part of the out-of-the-box experience, Sonos customers will automatically receive a free 30-day trial to SIRIUS Internet Radio.

Make sure you check out the Sonos Demo.

Since the launch of the Sirius Internet stream there are have been a number of options for regular PC users but Mac users have been left in the dark, until now. With the new SiriusMac program, users can now choose from over 80 online Radio stations with an easy to use interface that streams Sirius Radio right to your Mac.

The new 1.1 version boasts artist/song alerts, an interactive online guide, channel presets, and an “auto-jukebox” which lets you spin your favorites songs/artists when available.

I am not a Mac user myself but I know that having to go to the Sirius site, surfing to the “listen online” page, entering my password, and sometimes solving the undecipherable captcha image leaves a lot to be desired. With this sleek new application Mac users will now be able to enjoy some bonus features and bypass a lot of the legwork required to listen to the best radio on radio.

David Bressler has recently released a real gem of an application that allows you to listen to Sirius Satellite Radio on any Windows mobile device. The application named, SIRIUS WM5, works on a host of SmartPhones, PPC, PDA platforms and is absolutely free. To get your copy all you need to do is simply register to view the forums on GeeksToolbox.com and thank me later.