new cell phone that will run XM radio

[randy]

So I am thinking of joining the 21st century and getting a new 4g verizon android or windows phone. Up until now I have not wanted to pay for the data plan that is required for a "smartphone"

 

But recently it seems XM radio will now stream (like pandora) over your cell phone. With that feature I can basically get rid of two of my XM subscriptions and it effectively cuts the data plan cost from 30.00 per month to 15.00 per month.

 

so is anyone streaming XM or Siruis radio over thier phone and using the "auxilary in" on a audiocom or Garmin 665 etc to listen to XM radio?

[OoPEZoO]

little different......but I use my iPhone to stream Sirius. I have a standard 3.5mm Aux input jack on my car stereo, so I use a short patch cord between that and the headphone jack of the phone. It works great. My only gripe is that I have to unlock the phone each time I want to change channels. One of these days I want to get a designated dock for it, which should charge it and keep it alive all the time.......but I guess its not high enough on my priority list right now.

 

I can also listen to it on the bike via wireless bluetooth via my Sena headset. The only downfall here is that I can't change channels.

[randy]

yes I was thinking in a similar vein. couple questions

 

my current phone (5 years old) does not lock. will nay new phone do that automoatically?

 

Can that feature be turned off?

 

second there is some internet comments that the quality of the sound from the headphone jack the care aux jack degrades. I have not seen that when I run my XM GPS in the car, but it is different technology. Are you seeing any sound quality issues?

 

is the reason you cannot change channels while riding because of the lock feature or some other reason?

[OoPEZoO]

yes I was thinking in a similar vein. couple questions

 

my current phone (5 years old) does not lock. will nay new phone do that automoatically?

 

Can that feature be turned off?

To both of the above questions. It is usually an option that can be chosen in the settings menu, but every phone is different. My iPhone lets you choose if and after how long it locks itself. I always have it kick off after 15 seconds to save power and to keep from accidentally "butt" dialing people when its in my pocket.

 

second there is some internet comments that the quality of the sound from the headphone jack the care aux jack degrades. I have not seen that when I run my XM GPS in the car, but it is different technology. Are you seeing any sound quality issues?

I am not seeing any quality "issues", but there is definitely a noticeable change in quality between the analog headphone jack and a digital signal that come out from the dock connector on the phone. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a difference. I would never be able to tell it on the bike or in my Wrangler, but I do notice the difference in my Wife's Grand Cherokee that has the wizz-bang hopped up stereo system.

 

is the reason you cannot change channels while riding because of the lock feature or some other reason?

More or less.....yes. I can't change stations unless I can see and use the controls on the touch screen of the phone. When I am riding, the phone is usually stuffed into one of my zippered waterproof pockets or in the trunk. So, I pick my station before I hop on and toss it in my pocket. Then when I turn my headset on, it pairs up with the phone and automatically starts playing whatever station I chose before I started riding.

 

[Svensk]

Randy,

 

Verizon offers both mobile and home/office docking/charging stations for the Droid X. They can now be purchased on Amazon and ebay for around $20 each. The docking stations have magnets that convert the phone screen to one more easily used in a hands-free kind of environment. The mobile dock has a locking mechanism so you could mount it near the handlebars and access it while riding.

 

My wife has both docking stations and a the XM/Sirius subscription and loves it. She has a headset type cable that allows the phone to play over the car speakers or the computer speakers in her office and according to her the sound quality is great. This would probably be the best way to play through autocom or other bike mounted sound system. Her ipod sits unused at home as the phone has also become her mp3 player as well as her primary camera and gps (superior to the Garmin I bought her 2 years ago.)

 

The Droid X (and Thunderbolt which I have) both allow you to turn off the screen lock. The Droid X does not go to screen saver mode when in the powered docking station.

 

As an added bonus both of these phones can be used as mobile hotspots (for an additional fee) providing wifi for up to five laptops or other devices. The Thunderbolt actually provides amazing download speeds (faster than Comcast cable) when used with 4G which is only available in limited markets for now.

 

Once you have a smart phone you'll wonder how you survived without it for so long.

 

Good luck!

Eric