In the world of tech punditry, Walt Mossberg is the admittedly the original "uber-pundit" but David Pogue of the New York Times is also one of the most respected in the business. Both write from the layman's standpoint, while really being true geeks at heart, and still manage to maintain complimentary points of view on new products.
Take Pogue's review on the Samsung Helix - as we all know, the sister to the Pioneer Inno. In general he liked the device, with his only gripe being that you can't pause live broadcasts. Admittedly, this is a lacking feature in the new generation of XM2go. But in general, David Pogue liked the device - even if the RIAA doesn't. Pogue even went so far as to almost counterpoint Mossberg's gripe about reception (which plagues satellite radio in general):
Now, before you get all fired up, remember that any satellite receiver requires a clear view of the sky; unless you snake the external antenna over to a window, listening to live radio indoors or on the subway is essentially out of the question. (Those are excellent times to play back some of your recordings.)
He doesn't though pull any punches:
The Helix's stubby little antenna, however, is an especially dainty flower when it comes to sensitivity. Even covering it with your hand, slipping the device into your pocket, or facing the wrong way can be enough to introduce hissy static into the signal.
Still, even without being a bubbly fanboy, David Pogue's review seems a bit more fair than the Mossberg review. And in these recent days of doom and gloom for XM, a positive review of their flagship product seems welcome.
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