Both XM and Sirius have been holding off on new hardware announcements while they wait to see if federal regulators will permit the only two satellite radio operators in the U.S. to go through with a $13 billion merger. Nonetheless, XM Satellite Radio today announced the XpressRC, a new satellite radio which features a color split-screen display, a 60-minutes replay function, and onboard music storage.
"The XpressRC is vibrant and offers a wealth of features and functions, ensuring the richest satellite radio experience available," said XM executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer Vernon Irvin, in a statement. "The debut unit promises to take music, sports, and entertainment lovers by surprise, reinventing the way they receive and experience XM content."
The heart of the XpressRC’s appeal may be its customizable color display, which enables users to choose what content they want to display in a split-screen format. For instance, users can view current channel information on the left while seeing what’s playing on three different channels on the right. No more changing stations just to see if something better is playing.
The XpressRC also saves the most recent 60 minutes of programming so users can replay recent content—handy for grabbing phone numbers, making sure you caught the action from a sports event, or cycling that last twangy chorus endlessly to annoy everyone nearby. The device also offers a customizable sports and stock ticker, can also save up to 10 (whoo!) songs for future listening, and lets users define 10 preset channels for quick navigation. A TuneSelect feature can alert users when a favorite song, artist, or sports team has content airing on another channel, and an FM FrequencyFinder feature for pumping your XM content through a nearby FM radio.
XM expects the XpressRC to be available "this fall" for a suggested retail price of $169.99.
