Gadget of the Month - Sirius S50 (But, is it worth it?)

I suppose most would consider me a tech geek, I don’t deny it. I love gadgets. I’ve been touting the XM Roady2 around in my house and car for over a year. It was my introduction into the world of satellite radio. Since then I almost never listen to plain old FM or AM radio anymore.

I thought I would give Sirius a serious look (no pun intended) when it was announced that Howard Stern would be broadcasting his crude, rude, brutally honest radio show on their airwaves. Another reason to make the jump to Sirius was the new portable S50 model. Wait, make that semi-portable since you can’t actually listen to a live Sirius broadcast unless it is plugged into its included car base or optional home base.

I’ve been using the S50 now for a little over two weeks and something about it doesn’t feel quite right. To sum it up, I feel like I have been married a couple weeks to a new, sleek, beautiful looking wife who does everything I thought she would when I signed up to be with her. But there’s something about being thrown into this new marriage that makes it seem…odd. Like something isn’t right. OK, so what the fuck am I talking about? I don’t know, but I will tell you this.

The S50 is worth the price of admission if you are looking for the following:

- A satellite radio
- An MP3 (WMA) player
- Slick looking new gadget to impress your friends, co-workers and classmates with.
- Howard Stern
- Tivo-like functionality on a radio

The S50 is not worth the price of admission if you want:
- A satellite radio, but don’t want to spend $300 for one.
- A portable satellite radio that also plays live virtually everywhere (minus the heavily covered spots like tunnels and shaded areas.)

My favorite feature is hitting the “heart” button every time I hear a favorite song or hear a funny comedy bit that I want to share with my friends. Also, another great feature is the ability to pause and rewind live radio. This was most handy when I received important phone calls and needed to pause a song or program so I don’t miss a beat. I also love transferring my MP3’s to it. The large color LCD screen also is very pretty. When the player isn’t docked it sure is very light, almost as if the battery isn’t inserted and there aren’t any electronic pieces inside and behind its LCD display.

However, the navigation does take some time to get used to. Reading the manual is most helpful if you want to fully understand how to use all of its features.

If you really are interested in Sirius and have the extra money to spend, the S50 is without a doubt the model I would recommend. If not being able to listen to a live broadcast anyplace other than at home, the office or in your car is a problem, then maybe this isn’t for you. Although, with some patience, I am sure Sirius will have an add-on device for the S50 that will allow portable “live” play.