Delphi Unveils the XM SkyFi 3
At a press event in New York City Wednesday night, electronics manufacturer Delphi introduced its third SkyFi radio, molding together the popular in car XM radio with a portable unit. While Delphi also produces the portable MyFi, it is unclear whether or not the company plans to merge the two product lines.
A Delphi representative told BetaNews at the event that he could not say whether the company planned to end the MyFi line in favor of a converged solution, although it seemed as if an announcement on Delphi's portable is to come soon.
Regardless of the MyFi's future, the SkyFi3 will come in at a drastically lower price than the MyFi. Whereas the MyFi debuted at a rather steep USD $349, the SkyFi3 will retail for $199 USD, and $229 USD for a model that includes the wearable live kit.
The radio is roughly the same size as modern hard-drive based MP3 players, and features a large 2.8-inch screen that can either be used horizontally or vertically. In addition to the play and pause functionality that became standard with the SkyFi2, the SkyFi3 can store up to 10 hours of XM programming in its internal memory, twice that of the MyFi.
Features first introduced in the MyFi and then brought to the SkyFi2 model such as Artist and TuneSelect, along with the XM sports and stock ticker have also been carried over to the new device.
Users of the player will be able to bookmark songs for purchase from XM+Napster, as well as save up to 500 songs through an optional 2GB MicroSD card that is not sold with the unit. While this has caused much consternation with the RIAA, Delphi says the company has escaped any legal action.
"We're squared away with RIAA," a spokesperson said. Instead, he indicated the labels were more interested in going after the satellite providers themselves. The unit would also play MP3 and unprotected WMA files when the MicroSD card is used.
Other features of the SkyFi3 include a remote control and a car kit within the package. The company said it understood that its users are primarily listening to XM in the car, so those features will come standard. However, a $30 accessory would make the unit portable, and a home kit will also be available.
Delphi also tried to calm fears over the FM modulator quality after its recent troubles with the FCC. The company said that XM had developed a solution that would make the modulator work better even though less power is used to transmit the signal. However, it declined to specify how it worked, citing competitive reasons.
The SkyFi3 is expected to begin shipping in October.