XM Unveils Holiday Lineup
XM unveiled its lineup of fall 2005 products late Tuesday at a press event titled "Christmas in August." The showcase included two new radios from Delphi and Audiovox, a new solution to turn factory car radios with RDS capabilities into XM-capable systems, and a host of new accessories.
The products will begin to hit the market next month.
Long-time XM supporter Delphi will introduce the RoadyXT in late September at a price of $99.99 USD. The radio will be the smallest and thinnest XM tuner available on the market, measuring 3.7 inches wide, 2.2 inches high and .61 inches deep.
Audiovox will introduce its XPress radio in October also at a price of $99.99 USD, and the company says it is the first satellite receiver to offer a five-line display in a compact form factor. The unit will include a tuning knob and remote control for fast tuning to any of XM's channels.
Both units will come with a built-in FM transmitter capable of transmitting the XM signal to any one of 100 FM frequencies and a vehicle kit. The radio will also come with the TuneSelect and Artist select capabilities, which alert the listener when a favorite artist or song is playing as well as a customizable sports and stocks ticker.
These features twere first introduced in the Delphi MyFi when it launched in the fall of last year.
Audiovox also unveiled a first-of-its-kind solution to allow factory head units with RDS to have XM capability. RDS is a technology that first introduced in 1998 to allow FM broadcasters to send information to display on FM radios. The box, which will be marketed under the company's Terk brand, will cost $69.99 USD for the smart adapter when it is released in November, and will require and XM Direct tuner, which retails for $49.99 USD.
Audiovox says it is marketing the product to those who may want XM radio, but do not want the extra hardware that is needed with a plug-and-play solution.
Altec Lansing, meanwhile, announced a strategic partnership with XM to provide new speaker solutions for mobile and stationary use. The iMX2 and XM3020 will be available in October for $149.95 and $99.95 USD, respectively. The speakers will be universally compatible with all currently released XM2go receivers from Pioneer, Tao and Delphi.
Finally, Belkin said it would begin to offer accessories for the XM2go line, including vehicle kits, home kits, power chargers, antennas, and other products. Belkin will also offer accessories for the Audiovox XPress and Delphi RoadyXT radios.