Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Porsche 911

While its SUV sibling, the Porsche Cayenne, has offered satellite radio since 2005, the Porsche 911 has gone without. So in addition to direct-injection and a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the 2009 Porsche 911 will also get the availability of XM Satellite Radio straight from the factory. In addition to 170 channels of music, sports, news, talk and entertainment, the satellite radio service will include XM NavTraffic, as well. The digital traffic service offers drivers up-to-date traffic and incident information. All customers who take delivery of a 2009 Porsche equipped with XM Radio and XM NavTraffic will enjoy a three-month complimentary subscription, but they'll probably enjoy the fact that they're driving a Porsche 911 even more.

[Source: Porsche]

In-car technology has exploded over the past few years, with navigation screens, hard drives, iPod connectivity, and satellite radio becoming more and more important to consumers. While Ford was slow to get on the multimedia super highway, the Blue Oval has picked up steam with the introduction of SYNC. Ford also launched HD Radio in fall 2007, and the Dearborn automaker plans to offer the digital music maker in every Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury by 2009

HD radio is gaining in popularity as it offers superior sound quality vs. traditional radio and exclusive content, without the need to pay a monthly subscription. Radio stations are fast-adopting HD Radio as well, with 1500 stations now broadcasting digitally. Over 700 of those stations are now offering H2 and H3 multi-casts, which means that your favorite station can offer multiple genres, or more simultaneous choices of the kinds of music you love. With satellite radio riddled with commercials and still costing $12.95 per month, lets hope that HD Radio can give us what we like, but without the cost. Hit the jump to view the Ford press release.

[Source: Ford]

The satellite radio option is about as common in new cars as the near-omnipresent AUX jack for portable music devices. You can argue that the presence of the latter essentially eliminates the need for the former, but some people like being able to tune in to a radio station where there's the outside chance of hearing songs they may not necessarily own yet. Most luxury marques, from Audi to Rolls-Royce, already have the satellite base covered. So it was a bit of a surprise to learn that Ferrari hadn't gotten into the game. That's over though, as Modena has selected XM as its extra-terrestrial radio provider of choice. The first car to get it is the 612 Scaglietti, which is fine and all, but we can't figure out why anyone would want yet another audio source to compete with the sweet music made by the car's V12. At least the NavTraffic feature can help keep the Ferrari on roads whose conditions allow it to maintain a proper pace.

[Source: XM Radio]

I've always chosen an iPod over ordering either of the two satellite radio providers, XM and Sirius, for one simple reason: I can listen to only what I want. With satellite radio, you pay a monthly fee, around $13/month, and get a bunch of channels, most of which I've found I'll pass right by on the dial. The thought of paying for dozens of channels I don't like just never thrilled me.

Thanks to the upcoming merger between XM and Sirius, however, my biggest complaint with satellite radio might soon be gone. According to the companies, two new a la carte plans will be offered about a year after the merger goes through. The first will cost $6.95/month (very reasonable) and allow a subscriber to pick 50 channels from either XM or Sirius. Unfortunately, with this plan you can't mix and match Howard Stern on Sirius with Oprah on XM. Step up to the $14.95 a la carte plan, however, and you'll be able to choose 100 channels on either service. These are great options and in our estimation deliver a better product to the subscriber than either satellite radio provider ever did on its own.

There will be more plans revealed ahead of the merger's conclusion, and the companies say that those who own either XM or Sirius branded players right now will be able to receive some stations from the other service, but not all. No list of which stations are excluded from each service's hardware was given at this time, however. Receivers sold after the merger, we're sure, will be able to tune in the gamut of stations offered by both providers.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Chrysler announced today that it will nab another exclusive for its upcoming redesigned 2008 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans. In addition to their popular Stow 'n Go and Swivel 'n Go options, the new soccer mom-mobiles will be the first available with Sirius Backseat TV. This extremely handy technology beams three channels of kid friendly programming right into your minivan. Video can be displayed on either both flip down screens in the back, or also the third screen embedded in the dash if the vehicle is parked. Mom and Dad can also choose to listen to Sirius audio programming up front while Dick and Jane rot their brains on cartoons in the back.

The channels being offered are particularly appropriate for children, just the type of people that often frequent the back seats of minivans. Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and the Cartoon Network will all be beamed and received via two small roof-mounted antenna. We're particularly pleased the Cartoon Network was thrown in there, and hope to all hell that Adult Swim comes in.

What's more, this technology will only cost $470 as an option, which includes the first year of service. Considering that it's the first of its kind on the market, we think the price is reasonable. Although, by this time you've likely checked off the box for the MyGIG entertainment system, which costs a heady $1,700 on some vehicles. We imagine that money is of little concern when trying to mute the little ones, and Chrysler comes through again with an exclusive feature for its new minivans. The Sirius Backseat TV function will also concurrently be offered on the 2008 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it makes the most sense in these vans.

[Source: Chrysler]

We had an idea that the XM/Sirius merger wasn't exactly going to be a win for the customer, and now we hear that XM and Sirius will be offering tiered pricing with plans that are both lower and higher-priced than their current $12.95/month service. Certain "a-la carte" plans will actually come in at a price below existing rates, which should fit the needs of a select few subscribers. There will still be a $12.95 package, with what Sirius described in a federal finding as "substantially similar" offerings to what customers are getting now for the same price. The soon-to-be merged companies will try to build additional revenue with upper-tier packages that will give customers more than what they're getting now, for less than the cost of getting both services.

Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, said that the merger could be a "real bad deal" for customers, and with this news, we tend to agree. When the two companies were fighting each other for subscription dollars, they gave us everything they could afford and some things they probably couldn't. If the merger is approved (and how often are they not) the combined company will slice and dice service cable tv-style, and customers will be left to either compromise what they really want in the name of price, or simply pay more for everything. Monopoly is more fun when it's the board game. We're not exactly political activists, but if you think this sounds like a bum deal, you can always send Senator Kohl a note.

[Source: Reuters]

It's like Pandora for your car! Slacker, a new web-based radio website has just launched this week. The channel selection is very similar to what's available on XM or Sirius, and we liken it to Pandora because the number of songs you can skip is limited, but the selection is large and the experience is flexible and customizeable. The website alone is a nice little diversion anywhere you've got a browser and bandwidth, but the exciting news is that there will soon be an iPod-like device so you can take your Slacker with you. That means never having to listen to the angry guy talk channel while stuck in a traffic jam again. It's also better than the four-song playlists each FM genre now spins, too. The portable device will store songs, and later this year Slacker will be unveiling a car dock that will be able to receive music from satellite signals.

Pulling down music from the birds is the same trick that Sirius and XM manage, but they cost money. Slacker is free once you purchase the hardware. How is that possible? Why, the very same way broadcast television and radio are free: advertising. If you're willing to sit through some ads, you get free music. In fact, the music is merely there to keep you interested enough that you'll continue to listen through the spots – of course, many of us are obsessive channel flippers (or worse yet, NPR junkies). You can have your Slacking and no commercials, too. For about half the price of Sirius, your $7.50 per month will keep the music rolling in and offer you unlimited skips and no ads. The price is so much lower because Slacker doesn't have big loans for satellites to pay off. The quality is in the MP3 realm, and sounds decent, which is encouraging. Some of us with finely tuned ears have a hard time listening to SatRad because of the digital compression artifacts. We'll see what happens if Slacker is able to popularize it's offerings, and deliver on the promise they're dangling tantalizingly in front of our noses.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

UPDATE: It's official!


Both XM and Sirius have been dropping hints since last summer that the two could merge into one giant satellite radio provider with a subscriber base of 12 million. It appears after a marathon negotiation session last weekend, the two are finally ready to make it offiicial sometime today and start the long process of gaining SEC approval. Though approval will likely take over a year, we doubt the feds will break this one up. While XM and Sirius technically compete with each other for subscribers, satellite radio as an industry is in a fight for its life with other forms of audio distribution, like regular old terrestrial radio, internet radio and the 800 lb. gorilla, Apple's iPod. These two company's have a better shot at surviving by jumping in the same bunker.

Of course, auto interiors are the primary front in this war, which makes the merger interesting to us. Car owners subscribed to one of the two services will be the big winners, as Howard Stern and Oprah will now occupy the same dial. You'll be able to get all your satellite radio sports coverage with one subscription now, as well.

Trying to meld two established brands into one, however, is not an easy thing to do. Just ask DaimlerChrysler if you need a reference. We chuckled out loud while reading the linked article from the New York Post when the author describes the deal as a "merger of equals". Sure...

[Source: The New York Post]

This particular nugget came from our sibling site Engadget, which reported on the "multimedia car radio of the future."

In conjunction with a few select partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing an entertainment system that will feature "built-in satellite radio and generous timeshifting functionality" too. It comes via a special antenna that will likely become a factory-installed option on certain vehicles. It's described as a "flattened mobile antenna integrated into the bodywork," that will pick up "Ku" band signals already used by communications satellites.

Obviously, using existing satellites makes this much cheaper and more feasible. The best bit, however, and the part that makes this different than current US satellite radio services, is that the service will include timeshifting. You know, just like TiVo. The ability to listen at a later time. It is likely that the service will feature a "cache or hard drive-based system" so listeners can pause or rewind broadcasts. Not a lot of other details right now, but word has it you might spot a prototype system mounted in a BMW if you happen to be near the Noordwijk Space Expo in the Netherlands.

[Source: Orbitcast via Engadget]

When it signed Howard Stern last year, Sirius radio picked up a lot of subscribers, but the satellite radio provider still couldn't catch rival XM which sits atop of the subscriber satellite radio heap. Sirius' new six million subscribers represented a huge jump, but XM is closing out 2006 with 7.9 million. The New York Times is now reporting that Sirius might follow the old adage: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Sirius has apparently supported the idea of a merger for a while, but XM has refused to comment thus far. Because there is a lot of overlap in their offerings and because they have similar organizations, merging would lower costs and help boost the stock price, presumably. And that's where these decisions tend to be made, in the accountants' ledgers.

More info after the jump.

[Source: New York Times via Kicking Tires]