BlackBerry Sirius XM App Now Available

Earlier this month, Siriux XM, the premier satellite radio provider, unveiled its official BlackBerry app to much fanfare. The app lets you tune in to over 120 Sirius XM channels with surprisingly high quality (128 kbps – roughly CD quality) and is surprisingly stutter-free over both WiFi and 3G.

Using the Sirius XM requires a subscription to Premium Sirius XM Online which costs $2.99 on top of your current Sirius XM subscription (starting at $9.99), plus the app itself which rings up at about $13 bucks a month and ranging up to $23 per month to get everything both Sirius and XM have to offer. The good news, however, is that you get access to streaming Sirius XM radio on your PC or Mac in addition to access from your phone.

If you just want to try the service out, you can do so for free with the 7 day trial. Either way, simply visit siriusxm.com/blackberry to get the app.

Once you grab the app, you can begin surfing through all 120 channels with the option to bookmark your favorites. You can even browse around at other channels while tuned in to another station, which is kind of nice. You can still receive calls, emails and phone calls as normal. If you do decide to interrupt your listening by answering the phone, Sirius XM will fire right back up on the station you left off on after you hang up.

There are, of course, limitations. For example, it looks like Howard Stern (who is a known BlackBerry afficinado, choosing the BlackBerry Bold over the Palm Pre) is not included on the BlackBerry version of Sirius XM due to contractual issues. Ditto MLB Play by Play. Fans of The Virus’ Opie and Anthony Show are in luck, however as well as listeners on both sides of the political fence who are inclined to tune in to America Right or America Left. Also, the app is only supported by the BlackBerry Tour, BlackBerry Storm/Storm2. BlackBerry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Curve 8500.

All in all, this app is very promising – especially if there are plans to expand the radio station lineup in the future. For diehard satellite radio fans, this is a definite must-have.

Quick note: Though Sirius XM claims you will not be automatically charged at the end of your Standard 7 day free trial (which is how most free trials work), though if you signed up for other packages (like the Sirius XM 30-day free trial), those do have a recurring billing element. Plus, it’s not enough to delete your application if you want to stop being charged – you have to call to cancel your subscription.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 6:10 am by Jack Busch and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.