Associated Press Not Impressed By MyFi

prostoalex writes "Michael Regan from the Associated Press started reviewing MyFi, a portable satellite radio receiver, by treating it as a competitor to iPod, but then admitted the two devices are quite different. For $350 and a $10-a-month subscription the buyer gets access to XM satellite radio stations and ability to record the stream to 128 MB of built-in flash. There's no way to transfer the recorded content to the computer or vice versa. The review recommends waiting for lower price and better features."

Comments

Maybe useful for Flyover-country

[Dancin_Santa]

In any urban area, the number and variety of free radio stations (supported by volunteers or commercial sponsors) is staggering. There really isn't any reason to splurge on an expensive device when a twist of the dial can tune in just about any type of music that an individual would be interested in. If you can't find a station that interests you in those areas, perhaps it's time to turn the radio off altogether.

Re:Maybe useful for Flyover-country

[fimbulvetr]

You're area may be. But every station in the areas I've been to recently(Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis) plays 2 crappy songs, then 4 minutes of commercials, followed by a good song, then 1 crappy song. In fact, most stations "brag" that they have 30 minute "rock blocks". Great, 30 minutes of junk followed by an equally long commercial break.
As far as I'm concerned, I'll pay $10 a month to not listen to BS.
On my trips across South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Minnesota, I usually give AM a shot, but not with one of these:)

Re:Maybe useful for Flyover-country

[geoffspear]

Actually, Clear Channel owns exactly 7 of the 35 radio channels in the Orlando market. But feel free to make up "facts" to fit your argument.

Re:Maybe useful for Flyover-country

[CatOne]

Except radio is AWFUL... a typical playlist is 15 songs per day, repeated over and over and over. And many radio stations out here in NorCal take 4 1/2 minute commercial breaks... how annoying is that when you're working out? There's way too much blather... I never hear what I want and when I'm somewhere other than home, I can fish on the radio for 15 minutes before finding a song I like... which cuts out 30 seconds later and goes to... commercial.

With satellite, you can have 5 or 6 commercial-free stations that you like, and "in theory" get them anywhere. In concept it sounds great -- my DirecTV has digital radio stations and I listen sometimes when I'm tired of what I have on the iPod. But in practice, satellite radio reception is a bit spotty (as noted in the article).

He dosn't get it.

[mkmoose]

As a XM user I am drooling over the features offered by this device. I owend a first generation sony PNP and now an XM Roady. This device is light years ahead of the first generation. Comparing this to a I-Pod or MP3 player confuses what the device is. It more correct to compare this to a tivo with cable.

Recommendation??

[fembots]

The review recommends waiting for lower price and better features.

So when is the right time to buy if people take this kind of recommendation seriously?

Price will be lower than the lower price you saw yesterday, features will be better than the better features you thought that are already better.

Re:Recommendation??

[MBCook]

Both would be nice. But the thing is still a great deal. For the $350, you get the device, a car kit, a home kit, earphones, etc. If you take the little Delphi XM radio I have now ($99), buy the car kit ($99), the home kit ($99), the boombox so you can listen anywhere ($99), you're already over the price (those numbers may be a tad high, like $10 each).

So for the same or less, this little thing is smaller, portable, AND CAN TIMESHIFT.

As an XM radio reciever goes, this is THE DEVICE unless you only want to ever listen in your car (which, by the way, would change).

It's not cheap, but it's a good deal relative to other solutions. Plus you can use it anywhere like a walkman and it could tape Art Bell or This American Life or any other show for you to listen to later.

I'd LOVE one. I'd suggest that they offer it stand alone (no home/car kits) to lower the price, but I think we all know that would only save maybe $50 bucks because the little device is by FAR the most expensive part.

Uhh

[fredistheking]

>There's no way to transfer the recorded content to >the computer or vice versa.

Except to connect the headphone jack to your linein. Why is the analog solution usually overlooked so quickly?

Re:Uhh

[EvilSporkMan]

The analog solution works at 1x - it takes as long to transfer the content as it does to listen to it. This can easily be construed as inconvenient.

Re:Uhh

[iocat]

This continues to kill me. People will listen to tinny, compressed, MP3s all day long and then recoil in horror at the lossyness of a *gasp* analog-to-digital conversion.

Yeah, it may be a 1x process, but who is out there who will be able to do this and already doesn't already have most of their music digitally anyway. XM is awesome, but I don't usually hear tracks I've never heard before, or old tunes that I simply *must* have. I'd probably only want to grab a couple tracks here and there anyway.

Re:SIRIUS IS WAAAY BETTER

[roche]

Sirius play more "hits" while XM has more of a diverse playlist.

I prefer XM myself.

Re:SIRIUS IS WAAAY BETTER

[solowCX]

Except in order to get Opie and Anthony you have to pay a monthly fee of $1.99 per radio in ADDITION to the monthly fee.

I have one

[Texodore]

Random notes:

Everyone keeps saying the iPOD holds more music, has better battery life. I don't seem them competing. Maybe it's just me. The limitations of satellite radio mean you have to have an antenna and specialized hardware that sucks the juice down. But you get a 2,000,000 song library.

You can record and playback, and it has an alarm. It also comes with a home and car kit. Note that buying a SkyFi2, home, and car kit will almost cost as much as the MyFi.

I have the MyFi so I can listen while I'm walking my dog. Yes, I like XM that much to want to listen to it over MP3s or something like that. One thing your MP3 collection can't do is turn you on to new music. I wouldn't have known about many new bands (or old bands for that matter) without XM. I don't know if I would know who Muse, The Faint, or Franz Ferdinand were, and I wouldn't have found out how much I like Echo and the Bunnymen and stuff like that.

I don't think it needs more storage space. The idea is to listen to radio, which is mostly live. I think the recorded feature is for programs you can't pick up when you aren't available (a timer feature will record something for you) and if you can't pick up a signal. It's basically 5 hours of music programming.

Did I mention the talk radio and the ACC/Big 10/Pac-10 games?

I like not having to cue up playlists, pick what I want to listen to, listen to new music, etc. XM seems to want to play their deeper library more than Sirius, one reason I like their service more.

I've had it for 2 days and like it. I need to play with the wearable antenna some more before I say I love it. The signal is spotty outside at times while walking around. I have no problems in my car or at the office. Speaking as someone who is upgrading from the original Sony Xm radio, this is also a huge upgrade.

Finally, to the editors, stop knocking XM an satellite radio. Half the satellite radio stories seem to denounce it somehow. The AP review doesn't really say anything bad about it. Some of you that knock satellite radio need to try it before worshiping your iPOD again.

Re:I have one

[beerits]

Did I mention the talk radio and the ACC/Big 10/Pac-10 games?

And iPod does not? Last I checked iPod has brick, parachute, solitaire, and you can download text games on from the internet.

The ACC/Big 10/Pac-10 are American collegiate athletic conferences, not video games.

I am a Sirius subscriber

[WCMI92]

And here's why:

1. No commercials on music channels. EVER. Never have had them. XM had to change from commercials to non commercial BECAUSE Sirius wouldn't air commercials.

2. Lee Abrams.

Lee Abrams runs the programming at XM. He is the architect of Clear Channel's "cookie cutter" formats.

3. Cost.

XM is $9.99 a month.

But you don't get:

1. All the channels (some are premium)
2. Internet streaming access (costs you $5 a month extra)
3. No discounts offered if you pay annually OR add other receivers to your account.

Sirius is $12.95 (or $9.95 if you pay annually)

For EVERYTHING.

No wonder Sirius is the service that TALENT seems to be gravitating to. Such as Mel Karmazin. Howard Stern.