Slacker today unveiled the second incarnation of their personal radio player, the Slacker G2. An upgrade from the previous generation Slacker player, this version has ditched the pseudo-touch capabilities for a smaller, and arguably more intuitive, package.Sadly, we're not hearing anything additional about Slacker's promised satellite capabilities, which have been a long time in the waiting.
Still, we love gadgets, and the Slacker G2 doesn't seem to disappoint. The device is completely portable, no network connection required to play (it caches the channels, like the previous model), and features a 2.4" color screen for displaying artist profiles, album reviews and large cover art. Designed for easy one-hand operation, it allows for personalization on the go with a push of the Favorite or Ban buttons.
The Slacker G2, much like the Sirius Stilleto 2 and XM XMp3 (and Inno), doesn't tout its storage limits as much as the amount of content they can play. In Slacker's case, it comes in two versions:25 and 40 station capacities.
Battery life comes in at 15 hours and the Slacker G2 features a standard 30-pin accessory connector.
Still, in this era of (cheaper) iPhones and Apple's digital music player dominance, I'm wondering if a hardware solution is even the way to go. With Slacker coming to the BlackBerry, you know other mobile devices are on the horizon. So should hardware even an option for this type of solution?
Without a dock for playing in the car, why even bother?
Click the jump for tons of photos...
The Slacker G2, much like the Sirius Stilleto 2 and XM XMp3 (and Inno), doesn't tout its storage limits as much as the amount of content they can play. In Slacker's case, it comes in two versions:25 and 40 station capacities.
Battery life comes in at 15 hours and the Slacker G2 features a standard 30-pin accessory connector.
Still, in this era of (cheaper) iPhones and Apple's digital music player dominance, I'm wondering if a hardware solution is even the way to go. With Slacker coming to the BlackBerry, you know other mobile devices are on the horizon. So should hardware even an option for this type of solution?
Without a dock for playing in the car, why even bother?
Click the jump for tons of photos...
What ever happened to the Satellite Radio car dock for the Slacker? I never wanted the slacker. I like LIVE content not pre-loaded stuff.
Maybe if it had WiFi. I like Slacker Desktop, but with only music I wouldn't want a portable.
Kind of forgot, it's the new XM radio that lacks WiFi. Never mind.
What, no thanks?
And it seems like they're going to release new accessories in the future, so a car kit may be in the wings. But that's total speculation.
This player looks great nonetheless, a whole lot better than the antenna sticking out of the XMp3.
well.......... i don't know - just what to make of the slacker model anymore.
the model that works ok is the online model - you get a larger music selection that that of the download to a player model. at least that is what is posted on the slacker forums a while back.
to get no commercials - you have to pay money every month.
the slacker model is limited to canned playlists - no live content - no current content like news streams. i dunno - and the difference between an ipod or any other mp3 player and slacker is...............;..... help me with this........
I'm not sure why you think it lacks Wi-Fi, because the Slacker player does have Wi-Fi. The advantage is that it doesn't need a connection to play music. You use Wi-Fi to update the player with the newest music and never have to worry about losing connection or signal.
Here is a more detailed review of the G2 player: http://www.gadling.com/2008/09/16/product-review-slacker-g2-personal-radio/
I have the first generation player and absolutely love it. I dumped my XM subscription after a month or so of using Slacker (in my car as well as at work). Granted, I'm a music guy and rarely listened to the talk, sports or news on XM, so, the Slacker solution is perfect. Plus, I don't need to pay a monthly subscription anymore. One ad an hour is totally fine with me.
The music diversity on Slacker is way better than XM and the fact that I can favorite, skip or ban songs makes it totally unique.
It's a set playlist just like listening to any music station is a set playlist. The difference is you can skip forward. If that's what you're looking for, the ability to listen to a "radio" station while also being able to skip songs you don't like, Slacker is a very solid option. And with up to 40 stations storing music, you're going to be fine when it comes to variety.
It's devices like Slacker which are going to help in putting SiriusXm down for good. Good riddance SiriusXM.
this is a sat radio site ...no sat in slacker,stop promoting comp.please
Hey this thing looks great and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I enquired about the satellite car kit and Slacker indicated that right now they are focusing on delivering the service via the internet and WiFi. They did confirm that the satellite car kit would receive its content via Ku-band.
Still no dock?
who cares about sat connection, but a docking station is an instant win win.
fail