Pioneer Inno Portable XM2go Radio with MP3 Player
by Pioneer Mobile

List Price: $399.99
Our Price: $65.00
You Save: $334.99 (84%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Car Audio or Theater
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Digital product summary information

• Plays live XM radio content wherever you roam
• TuneSelect alerts you when favorites are being played on XM
• Also plays MP3s and WMA files from your personal library
• Full-color, 180 x 180 TFT display
• Holds up to 50 hours of content

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• Creative Headphones HQ-140
• Sony MDR-NC50 Noise Canceling Headphones

Digital camera reviews of Pioneer Inno Portable XM2go Radio with MP3 Player

Digital camera Review: 10x better than an IPOD
Summary: 5 Stars

Summary of Pioneer Inno Portable XM2go Radio with MP3 Player

The Pioneer Inno offers the long-awaited combination of MP3 and live XM Satellite Radio reception in a sleek, handheld device. The wearable radio delivers XM's over 170 digital radio channels of commercial-free music and premier sports, news, talk, and entertainment programming live and nationwide. It plays MP3s and WMAs, and it has a time-shifting memory mode for storage and playback of XM content. A particularly innovative feature of the Inno allows the user to ?bookmark? songs heard on XM, connect the Inno to a personal computer, and instantly purchase the songs from the XM + Napster online music download service.

The Pioneer Inno has 1GB of memory storage for MP3 files, WMA files, and XM programming, to hold up to 50 hours of content. At only 4.4 ounces and 3.4? x 1.9? x .67?, the Inno is extremely light and easy to take along anywhere. In addition to the XM + Napster feature of the Inno, it has a full-color 180 X 180 pixels TFT display and a user-friendly interface for saving and deleting content. Users can build personal playlists using a mix of XM content and tracks from their own digital music collection. The Inno has a memory buffer to make it easy to store an entire track heard in XM, even if the user starts storing it in the middle of a song.

With the Inno, you can receive and play live satellite broadcasts while you're on the go. View larger.

XM radio offers an incredible selection of music, sports, talk, and more.

Fast-forward a few years: the sequel--the Pioneer Inno--is a radical step forward in both performance, features, and design. (Note: Samsung's Helix is essentially the same model with a slightly different shell.) Boasting a much smaller form factor, slick casing, color screen, and simple user interface, the Inno is the first satellite radio player to make people think twice about buying a straight-up MP3 player.

That's important because not only does the Inno receive all of XM's great content, but it also has built-in storage for your MP3 collection. You can either record up to 50 hours of live XM content into memory, or split it for 25 hours of XM and 25 hours of your personal tunes. Having the option to load a few hundred songs is the perfect antidote for when you're in an area where the Inno can't receive a live signal.

Having some backup entertainment is great, but rest assured that with the Inno, antenna reception is much improved. The Inno's stubby antenna (think a slightly thicker antenna than on your mobile phone) pulled in rock-solid reception all around downtown Seattle, even when placed inside a jacket pocket. Performance will vary depending on your location relative to XM's satellites and network of ground-based repeaters, but it's way better than any of the original XM2Go units. Adding XM's antenna headphones can improve your experience even more.

Thanks to a 10-minute buffer, the Inno is also able to download an entire song from XM, even if you decide to hit record at the end of the song. Connect your player to your PC once you're at home and you'll instantly have the option of downloading that song for keeps via XM's new partnership with Napster.

Another highlight of the interface is the navigation pad. To go directly to a channel, hit the left arrow and then use the virtual keypad to punch in the channel number. If you just want to surf around, hit the right arrow and the display groups the channels by category (Rock, News, Sports, etc.).

The Inno comes with a remote control, a home dock with relevant cables and antenna, nice earbud headphones, software, and more. The rechargeable battery lasted about 4 hours when playing live XM programming, and it will last longer for MP3 playback. An adjustable color screen is another great addition, as it's much easier to see in sunlight and it gives the Inno a high-end feel.

Fast-forward a few years: the sequel--the Pioneer Inno--is a radical step forward in both performance, features, and design. (Note: Samsung's Helix is essentially the same model with a slightly different shell.) Boasting a much smaller form factor, slick casing, color screen, and simple user interface, the Inno is the first satellite radio player to make people think twice about buying a straight-up MP3 player.

That's important because not only does the Inno receive all of XM's great content, but it also has built-in storage for your MP3 collection. You can either record up to 50 hours of live XM content into memory, or split it for 25 hours of XM and 25 hours of your personal tunes. Having the option to load a few hundred songs is the perfect antidote for when you're in an area where the Inno can't receive a live signal.

Having some backup entertainment is great, but rest assured that with the Inno, antenna reception is much improved. The Inno's stubby antenna (think a slightly thicker antenna than on your mobile phone) pulled in rock-solid reception all around downtown Seattle, even when placed inside a jacket pocket. Performance will vary depending on your location relative to XM's satellites and network of ground-based repeaters, but it's way better than any of the original XM2Go units. Adding XM's antenna headphones can improve your experience even more.

Thanks to a 10-minute buffer, the Inno is also able to download an entire song from XM, even if you decide to hit record at the end of the song. Connect your player to your PC once you're at home and you'll instantly have the option of downloading that song for keeps via XM's new partnership with Napster.

Another highlight of the interface is the navigation pad. To go directly to a channel, hit the left arrow and then use the virtual keypad to punch in the channel number. If you just want to surf around, hit the right arrow and the display groups the channels by category (Rock, News, Sports, etc.).

The Inno comes with a remote control, a home dock with relevant cables and antenna, nice earbud headphones, software, and more. The rechargeable battery lasted about 4 hours when playing live XM programming, and it will last longer for MP3 playback. An adjustable color screen is another great addition, as it's much easier to see in sunlight and it gives the Inno a high-end feel.

So how did they get a complete satellite receiver into a device that measures 3.7 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches? By using an advanced satellite/terrestrial internal antenna that allows the device to receive signals from anywhere. The device is light, too, weighing in at just 4.5 ounces. The unit's full-color, 180 x 180 TFT display, as well as a user-friendly interface, make it easy to save and delete content. In addition to making it easy to find the music you want to listen to quickly, the interface lets you build your own playlists right on the device that consist of XM radio content and your own digital music. Another cool feature is the Inno's built-in memory buffer, which allows you to save an entire XM radio song even if you decide to save it in the middle of the song. The Inno's internal memory supports up to 50 hours of saved content.

Featuring a full array of programming -- from talk shows, comedy programs, and live Major League Baseball broadcasts to just about every musical genre from bluegrass to jazz -- XM Radio is the fastest growing satellite radio network in the world. All XM metadata is displayed on the Inno's display, including full song title and artist name, as well as information extras such as stock and sports score tickers. The device also sports a category list for saving and accessing favorite channels.

Another great feature of the Inno is TuneSelect, which alerts you when one of your favorite artists or songs is being played on an XM channel. And last, but certainly not least, the Inno features an integrated wireless FM transmitter so you can beam XM content to any FM radio frequency (with the Pioneer Inno Accessory Car Installation Kit), making it very easy to listen to XM content on any home or car stereo.

The Inno comes with earbuds and everything you need for portable and home use.

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