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.”