WOW, On My BlackBerry
I knew this would happen. Adding satellite radio reception to smartphones is very cool. I subscribe to Sirius, so I’m a little jealous to hear XM will be offered on some BlackBerry models, according to TWICE:
XM Satellite Radio today became available on BlackBerry devices from all leading carriers, broadening the availability of XM’s Radio Mobile service.
Previously XM Radio Mobile, which offers a selection of XM channels, was available only on select phones using the Alltel and AT&T networks.
Research in Motion BlackBerry devices will carry a selection of 20 XM channels on models including the Pearl, Curve, 8700 and 8000 series for a fee of $7.99 per month.
The service is enabled across many carriers through the OpenVideo platform from QuickPlay Media, a leading provider of mobile TV and video solutions. It will operate on BlackBerry devices using the Verizon, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile networks, said an XM spokesman.
The select XM music and comedy channels are accessed via a downloadable application. They appear in a user interface with graphical icons and the software lets users see the song title, artist and album of a song that’s playing as well as the songs playing in real-time on other XM Radio Mobile channels. Subscribers can also listen to XM while performing other BlackBerry tasks.
Does this now open the door for Apple’s iPhone to begin offering the competing satellite radio service? If you read Apple’s patent application from two years ago ("Mobile Me"), it does include satellite reception.
Cool: it includes "The Virus" — the channel featuring O&A. Here’s the channel line up. It might be worth $8 a month after all. Get the download here.
