Sirius Stiletto 2 phasing out, killed by iPhone?
updated 11:55 am EST, Wed February 3, 2010
Sirius portable radio running low on stock
Sirius XM's long-serving Stiletto 2 portable satellite radio is being taken off the market, sources said Wednesday. While still available in a few areas, stocks are reportedly dwindling and could clear out soon. Orbitcast hasn't received word of whether there will be a replacement.
The decision if borne out could reflect a move away from attempts to provide dedicated hardware for portable satellite radio. At CES, the only new portable radio was Pioneer's XMp3i, a mild refresh of the original XMp3 from late 2008. The devices have often been problematic as they depend on getting a clear line of sight to a satellite and also have short battery lives due to the energy needed for the receiver.
More importantly, Sirius XM has also turned to adapting existing devices to provide much of its portable audio. It produces both a dedicated Internet radio app for iPhone and iPod touch owners as well as the XM SkyDock to give either Apple handheld its own satellite tuning when mounted in a car.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2004
Flawed product
This radio had great promise when it first came out, but to use it as a mobile handheld satellite radio, you have to use it's proprietary headphones (required to serve as the built in antenna), which almost seemed designed to be painfully uncomfortable.