Pioneer Inno Review by LAPTOP Magazine

Satellite radio has a ton of channels that encompass several genres of music and talk, but the first batch of portable players was hardly pocket friendly. MP3 players allow you to jam to your favorite songs on the go, but people tend to lose touch with new music and get stuck playing the same old songs repeatedly. Seeking to combine the variety of satellite radio with the portability of the iPod, Pioneer and XM have teamed up to launch the Inno, one of the world's first truly portable XM satellite radio/digital audio players that allows you to listen to and record live XM content anywhere.

The 4.5-ounce, 0.6-inch thin Inno is smaller than a deck of cards and can easily slide into a pocket. The colorful 1.7-inch display provides a wealth of information–the name and number of the current channel, battery life, reception strength, and time–without feeling cramped. Customizable stock and sports tickers can be added with a touch of the Display button. (Note that the identically priced Samsung Helix has all of the same features as the Inno but sports a slightly different design.)

Surfing XM's 170 channels is an exercise in simplicity. Pressing right on the directional pad cycles through different genres; up and down scrolls through channels within a genre; left lets you input a specific channel number. An included remote offers the same functionality but feels Lilliputian in even average-sized mitts.

Indoors or outdoors, the Inno's reception was strong; we experienced only one brief drop-out. This player delivered stellar sound quality that packed enough volume to drown out the din of midday traffic. The included rubber-tipped earbuds were surprisingly comfortable.

Comparisons will naturally be made between the Inno and its rival, the Sirius S50. Pioneer's handheld trumps its competitor by allowing subscribers to listen to and record XM content without being anchored to a dock. Unlike the S50, there isn't an RIAA restriction limiting the amount of audio that can be recorded per session. You can record continuously until you max out your 1GB capacity, which can be fully dedicated to 50 hours worth of XM content or split with digital audio files.

Remarkably, the Inno's ten-minute buffer allows you to record an entire song even if you start recording midway. There is a catch, however: You can't switch from "Ice, Ice, Baby" on the 90's channel to the tail end of "Hungry Like the Wolf" on the 80's channel and record the track from start to finish; you'll only grab a portion of the song. The buffer will kick in on the following song.

The Inno can also be loaded with content by connecting it to Napster. The bundled XM + Napster software handles CD ripping, organizing tunes on your PC, and instantly purchases songs that have been bookmarked on the Inno. Granted, 512MB doesn't leave much room for WMA or MP3 files, but the Inno wasn't designed to replace your iPod.

Die-hards will love the TuneSelect feature. It beeps when a bookmarked artist or song plays on any XM channel so that you can instantly switch to it. While listening to INXS' "Bitter Tears" on channel 54, we decided to bookmark the band. About fifteen minutes later we were alerted that "Pretty Vegas," another INXS track, was playing on channel 22. Switching to that channel required a simple press of the XM button. Listeners have to be attentive, though, as the alert sounds only once and isn't particularly loud.

Disenchanted listeners of traditional radio will love the Pioneer Inno. Although the five hours of battery life when listening in live mode is a bit short, the multitude of stations, recording flexibility, and Napster integration make the Inno the premier portable satellite receiver on the market.

Editor's Note: The RIAA has filed a lawsuit against XM Satellite Radio claiming that the Pioneer Inno infringes on the record labels' rights as the Inno has no restrictions on the amount of music that can be recorded. Sirius, XM's main competitor, had complied with the RIAA's wishes and imposed strict recording limitations (you can record a maximum of two hours of music) with their S50 satellite radio/MP3 player and is not subject to the suit.

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Pioneer Inno

A truly portable satellite radio with recording capability and MP3 support.

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