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Zune w/HD Radio and the long awaited Sirius XM iPhone app. Yawn.

Posted on: May 27, 2009 in Technology

Two new techno-gadgets have been announced, neither of which is yet available, but both of which will likely be here by Fall (photos courtesy of Orbitcast via others).

ZuneHD
First the latest edition of Microsoft's Zune – but this one with HD radio.  Now I'm not going to dismiss this because, while the Zune is nothing special and HD radio is nothing special and together they're nothing special, it's also true that the Zune did not NEED to add HD radio, but it did anyway.  And that says something, I suppose. 

Probably that Microsoft liked the way the term "HD" rolls off the tongue.  Because it's likely to roll off the tongue faster than it will roll out of the Best Buy.

Sirius-xm-iphone Second, the long awaited first glimpse of the first screen shot from the new Sirius XM iPhone app.  I say "long awaited" because it's ridiculous that it has taken so long for this.  

For a while there I thought Mel was going to skip the iPhone phase and go straight to implanting Sirius XM chips in our brains alongside the chips that convince us to pay for content we could otherwise get for free.

Ho hum, all.
View Comments
  • Rusty Hodge
    Can't wait to see how much, or rather how little, batter life this thing gets playing HD Radio.
    My desktop Sony HD radio tuner runs boiling hot all the time, and used so much power that I ended up unplugging it.
  • seandemery
    In related news NASA announced yesterday that they will be embracing steam power for the next shuttle mission. Also, Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester are adding blood letting to the already robust treatments available. In other news Motorola announced a new cell phone with unlimited battery life. Motorola calls it The Plug. The phone comes with an extension cord that can role out up to 200 yards. Etc Etc Etc...
    Sometimes you look at the press releases and simply shake your head in disbelief.
  • bobyoung
    Mark wrote: "First the latest edition of Microsoft's Zune - but this one with HD radio. Now I'm not going to dismiss this because, while the Zune is nothing special and HD radio is nothing special and together they're nothing special, it's also true that the Zune did not NEED to add HD radio, but it did anyway. And that says something, I suppose."
    Well at least it begs the question: Do two big losers put together make an even bigger loser?
  • pocketradio.livejournal.com
    Mark,
    It's a yawn, but can't be totally dismissed, although 160,000,000 iPods have sold, versus 2.5 million Zunes. This parallels your old post about the HD Radio Aliance promoting Ford for free, in exchange for Ford dealer-installed HD Radio which never materialized. This new announcement is simply the same situation:
    "New Zune To Include HD Radio"
    "Bob Struble, President/CEO of iBiquity Digital Corporation, commented, We are very excited about the launch of HD Radio technology on Microsoft’s Zune HD. We are planning with the HD Radio Alliance to promote Zune HD to consumers."
    http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=1342290
    It's all tit-for-tat. The last I read for CES 2009 is that iBiquity's KRI Armband chip uses 500mW, and Siport claimed 110mW, but failed to mention that is for HD Radio Playback Mode ONLY! So, I am very skeptical of this annoncement, and would be surprised to see the Zune HD materialize. Besides eating the Zune HD alive, good-luck picking up those HD channels with just earbud antennas - most listeners have problems with dipole antennas! Sorry, Mark - not sure if the first comment got accepted.
  • Rico Garcia
    On the topic of HD I've often wondered: Why haven't radio stations that promote HD Radio ever given away HD radios as prizes? I mean maybe someone out there has, but considering ALL the airtime the brilliant "Alliance" gave the product, you'd think they'd maybe do some giveaways to get the radios on the streets to create buzz.
    Or does radio KNOW that HD Radio is not a desired product? Because, after all, don't we like to give away prizes that we think our audience would enjoy?
    I think that says a lot about HD Radio. Even radio is saying "who cares?"
    The joke continues...
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MRM President Mark Ramsey has worked with innumerable television and radio broadcasters over his career, including all the biggest names, from Clear Channel, CBS, Bonneville, Sirius XM...

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