Sirius XM satellite radio now has an Apple iPhone App that streams its content directly to smartphone users. However, despite 120 channels of music and talk, the app lacks some of Sirius XM's marquee properties, such as Howard Stern and NASCAR Radio. Since its release, the iPhone's app ecosystem has made it an increasingly popular device with the general public and with the enterprise.
The free Sirius XM application for the
Apple
iPhone includes around 120 channels of music and talk, including CNN and Fox
News Talk. However, radio fans of Howard Stern, MLB
Play-by-Play, Sirius NASCAR Radio and certain other channels will be
disappointed, as the free app does not include them in its lineup.
For iPhone users, the Sirius XM application feeds its content via 3G
wireless, while those wielding an iPod Touch will have to settle for radio over
a Wi-Fi connection. The application itself is free, but users will still have
to pay $13 for an online streaming package-unless they already have a Sirius XM
satellite radio installed in their vehicles, in which case it will cost an
extra $3 for Internet radio.
Users can also purchase songs they hear on a particular radio station
through the iTunes store.
The app rollout comes on the heels of the June 17
release
of iPhone OS 3.0, which includes over new 100 features. The operating system
is also geared more toward the enterprise, with an updated SDK (software
development kit) that allows developers to create a greater variety of secure
business applications. Companies including Sybase, Salesforce.com, SAP
and Sun Microsystems have all contributed applications designed to take
advantage of the iPhone's user-friendly capabilities.
In April, the number of apps downloaded from Apple's App Store passed the 1
billion mark, with
Apple
saying the iPhone is being used by over 17 million people in 80 countries.
Despite the somewhat risqu??« content of some Sirius XM channels, Apple has
become more conservative in its approval process, after a bit of controversy in
April over its "Baby Shaker" application, which let users shake a virtual
baby quiet.
Apple
subsequently apologized and pulled the 99-cent app from its App Store.
Out of the App Store's tens of thousands of applications, some of the most
popular include Facebook for iPhone and Google Earth, as well as games such as "Crash
Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D."
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