Digital Audio: Satellite Radios That Rock

XM Serves Up Music to Go

The newest products in the XM2go line of portable satellite radios--compact, battery-powered units designed to keep you tuned in wherever you roam--are Pioneer's $330 AirWare and Tao's $300 XM2go. Both devices feature the same navigation and functionality, including a number pad that lets you dial in stations or save up to 30 presets (three stations for each of ten numbered buttons), plus a customizable sports and stock ticker that appears at the bottom of the screen. The displays aren't flashy: Each has a black-and-white LCD with a backlight for adverse lighting conditions and measures about 1.5 by 1.7 inches. Both units come with a car kit, a home kit, and earphones. Each can record up to 5 hours of programming, according to the manufacturers.

Unfortunately, they're bulkier than an IPod, and I found them too hefty to clip comfortably to my jeans. Also, reception in "to go" mode faded in and out as I walked through my Seattle neighborhood. Unintuitive navigation held me back as well. For instance, to maneuver through a list of stations on either unit, you have to use the scroll wheel on the side rather than the navigation pad on the front. Battery life for each device's rechargeable lithium ion cell is vendor-rated at about 5 hours.

The preproduction Pioneer that I tried features easy-to-use separate 0-9 keys for creating presets or dialing in a specific station, as well as a refined silver finish. In contrast, the shipping Tao has a wonky keypad layout (each key has two numbers) that made it harder for me to handle when I was driving. The unit is a bit shorter and curvier, however, which makes it easier to grasp.