More drivers than ever are using their vehicles as personal listening spaces — and for many of them, satellite radio has made terrestrial radio obsolete.
That’s because satellite radio is great. The audio quality is good. You’ll never have your listening interrupted to hear about the latest furniture sale or public service announcement about proper hand-washing. Oh, and you can’t drive out of range of a station, since the signal is beamed down from outer space.
Thing is, a new breed of internet radio may make satellite radio a thing of the past by advancing the in-car listening experience to new and very interactive levels.
Satellite radio, like terrestrial radio, is one-way. Don’t like what you hear? Change the channel. And when you do, your most favorite song in the universe will come on while you listen to an OK song on another station, so you’ll miss most of it.
This leads to station anxiety, characterized by rapid toggling between numerous presets to decide where to tune in. The result can be hearing fragments of many songs, and it's a real pain in the ass.
But there’s a new solution called Slacker Radio. If you’ve got a smartphone and a car stereo with auxiliary or Bluetooth input, that “better” listening experience on the go is a cinch to tap into.
In Canada, Slacker Radio is the most comprehensive personal listening service of its kind. If you’re a Canuck planning to check out internet radio, Slacker is the way to go.
So imagine having only a few stations to choose from. Even as few as one. And they only play songs you'll probably like. When they don’t, you can instantly skip a song, or even ban it from playing on your station ever again. Like a song? Give it a “heart” and you'll hear more of it.
The basic service, which hooked your correspondent, should prove a more appealing and customized alternative to satellite radio for many. It’s also free, which is 15 bucks a month cheaper than satellite radio. Read: free is good.
Try it. Like for serious. The free Slacker service is fantastic, and two premium services are available optionally for less than your satellite subscription.
Jonathan Sasse, V-P of marketing at Slacker, says, “A big difference between Slacker and XM Radio pricing is that with Slacker, you can optionally pay a single fee of either $3.99 or $9.99 a month and you listen on a smartphone, a home DVD player, a computer or anywhere Slacker is available. There are no additional fees to listen on additional devices”.
That’s because satellite radio is great. The audio quality is good. You’ll never have your listening interrupted to hear about the latest furniture sale or public service announcement about proper hand-washing. Oh, and you can’t drive out of range of a station, since the signal is beamed down from outer space.
Thing is, a new breed of internet radio may make satellite radio a thing of the past by advancing the in-car listening experience to new and very interactive levels.
Satellite radio, like terrestrial radio, is one-way. Don’t like what you hear? Change the channel. And when you do, your most favorite song in the universe will come on while you listen to an OK song on another station, so you’ll miss most of it.
This leads to station anxiety, characterized by rapid toggling between numerous presets to decide where to tune in. The result can be hearing fragments of many songs, and it's a real pain in the ass.
But there’s a new solution called Slacker Radio. If you’ve got a smartphone and a car stereo with auxiliary or Bluetooth input, that “better” listening experience on the go is a cinch to tap into.
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| If you’ve got a smartphone and a car stereo with auxiliary or Bluetooth input, that “better” listening experience on the go is a cinch to tap into. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
In Canada, Slacker Radio is the most comprehensive personal listening service of its kind. If you’re a Canuck planning to check out internet radio, Slacker is the way to go.
So imagine having only a few stations to choose from. Even as few as one. And they only play songs you'll probably like. When they don’t, you can instantly skip a song, or even ban it from playing on your station ever again. Like a song? Give it a “heart” and you'll hear more of it.
The basic service, which hooked your correspondent, should prove a more appealing and customized alternative to satellite radio for many. It’s also free, which is 15 bucks a month cheaper than satellite radio. Read: free is good.
Try it. Like for serious. The free Slacker service is fantastic, and two premium services are available optionally for less than your satellite subscription.
Jonathan Sasse, V-P of marketing at Slacker, says, “A big difference between Slacker and XM Radio pricing is that with Slacker, you can optionally pay a single fee of either $3.99 or $9.99 a month and you listen on a smartphone, a home DVD player, a computer or anywhere Slacker is available. There are no additional fees to listen on additional devices”.