True, Portable Satellite Radio Finally Arrives

Good news for sat fans: Genuine portable satellite radio players are now on the market (at least for XM Radio).

Previously, portable satellite radio players were huge, and most could only receive live radio in most areas if you connected them to a larger antenna, which prevented them from being truly portable. (You could also record up to five hours or so of broadcasts for later playback, but this was inconvenient and, obviously, an imperfect solution.)

That changes now with the Pioneer Inno XM2go and Samsung Helix XM2go, two much smaller and sexier gadgets that can receive satellite radio live without a big external antenna. The antennas are built right into the players, giving them the appearance of chunky cell phones.

In addition, both let you play MP3 and WMA files (1GB of storage is included), record XM programs, and bookmark any songs you like for later purchase from Napster. Both retail for $400 and weigh less than an iPod. I'll have more detailed reviews when I get some hands-on time with the units. Stay tuned.