The Garmin StreetPilot 7200 and 7500 each have huge 7-inch touch-screen displays so you'll always see where you're going — from anywhere in the vehicle. Designed for larger vehicles such as RVs, semi-trucks, and buses, the Garmin 7000-series are premium automotive units that come preloaded with City Navigator NT detailed maps and display navigation, entertainment, traffic and weather on a grand sunlight-readable display.

Like the StreetPilot 2730, the 7200 and 7500 offer real-time XM NavTraffic, XMWX Weather and XM Satellite Radio capabilities in a single package. One thing to note though, the GXM 30 "Smart Antenna" - the XM receiver and antenna combination that make these units XM-Ready - is an optional accessory for the StreetPilot 7200 and 7500.

The GXM 30 antenna option retails for an estimated retail price of $249.99.

Both are expected to be available in December, with the StreetPilot 7200 running an estimated retail price of $1499 and the 7500 at $1800.

Find out more here. 

The Garmin StreetPilot 2730 is truly an amazing device. It's a compact portable GPS unit with a 3.8" touch screen that can easily be placed on the dashboard of any vehicle for quick and simple installation. Garmin is also the first to offer portable navigation devices with real-time XM NavTraffic, XM WX Weather and XM Satellite Radio capabilities in a single portable product.

The XM capabilities are delivered through the new GXM 30 "Smart Antenna" from Garmin included with the StreetPilot 2730. The GXM 30, designed and developed by Garmin, is the most advanced XM receiver and antenna combination to date. For maximum portability, the magnetic, waterproof, puck-sized GXM 30 can be placed on the dashboard or the roof of the vehicle.

Wow, talk about amazing.

The Garmin StreetPilot 2730 includes:

• StreetPilot 2730 receiver with built-in GPS antenna,
• City Navigator North America NT preloaded
• GXM 30™ antenna
• Integrated FM wireless transmitter
• Alphanumeric remote control
• External speaker with 12-volt adapter cable
• USB interface cable
• A/C power adapter
• Dash mount
• Portable non-skid mount (friction mount)
• Protective cover

With an MSRP of $1292.29 - it's not necessarily the cheapest thing in town, but considering all the incredible things this device has to offer, it's well worth every penny. It's expected to be available in December.

Learn more here. 

NASCAR superstar Jimmie Johnson has joined up with XM Satellite Radio to create a weekly show to debut on February 2006 on XM’s NASCAR Radio (XM Channel 144). Johnson will discuss the latest happenings on the NASCAR circuit and talk about music and other personal interests on the show.

Johnson will also play a key role in various XM promotions as part of a multi-year agreement with XM.

GM announced today that they are planning on building 1.55 million vehicles with factory-installed XM Satellite Radio in 2006. This will be the largest number of GM vehicles with XM Satellite Radios to be built in a single calendar year.

To put it in perspective, GM built 1.4 million vehicles with XM in 2005 and 1.17 million in 2004.

Austriamicrosystems is shipping its AS3654 power management chip for XM Satellite Radio’s personal satellite radio devices.

The AS3654 handles power monitoring and battery management as well as charging. It integrates specific functions such as clock, reset and interrupt generation, voltage and temperature monitoring. The AS3654 power management chip is an ultra-flexible, highly integrated smart power management unit that includes voltage regulators, a lighting unit, step down battery charger, a stereo audio DAC, housekeeping functions and an audio amplifier featuring sophisticated ground noise cancellation required for car radio applications.

Sounds like more goodies for CES 2006..

Whoa. Talk about a promotion. To celebrate the first game of the 2005 World Series, and of course to leverage their relationship with the MLB, XM Satellite Radio will offer a free satellite radio to every fan who enters U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago for Game One this Saturday. That’s 40,615 ticketholders! Each RoadyXT coupon distributed at the ballpark will have a unique code number. The coupon holder can use the code number to order the RoadyXT online and will pay a $12.95 monthly subscription to listen to the XM service (the first three months of service must be prepayed when ordering).

The giveaway will be the largest in the 102-year history of the World Series.

When fans arrive at the ballpark for the first game of the Fall Classic, every ticket holder will receive a coupon good for the brand-new Delphi XM RoadyXT satellite radio (MSRP: $79.99), plus a World Series commemorative pin attached to the coupon.

And if the 2005 World Series goes to a fifth game, XM will extend this offer to fans at the Minute Maid Park in Houston for Game Five.

UPDATE: USA Today has a piece on this as well. Thanks Uncle Bob!

PC Magazine has a glowing review for the Delphi Roady XT. They got a chance to play with the thing at the Digital Life show this past weekend, and I guess the really loved it.

Personally the two-line display is a disappointment, but the size of this device is pretty amazing so I guess that makes up for it…. sorta.

XM Satellite Radio will be launching the FOX News Talk Channel offering news, analysis and commentary from FOX News personalities Bill O’Reilly, Tony Snow, John Gibson, and Alan Colmes, among many others starting in January 2006.

FOX News Talk is the latest addition to XM’s line-up of talk radio programming, and will let listeners listen to primetime FOX News Channel programs, including The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes and On The Record with Greta Van Susteren.

The NDA from the Secret Room at the XMas In August event has been lifted as of October 15th. I can finally talk about this thing! Legg Mason took almost no time to leak out info on it after the event, and PC Magazine followed up in early September with their own bits of leakage - but for those of us who were contractually bound, we couldn’t say a word about it.

Unfortunately, the NDA also had to be lifted on a weekend, so no pictures of this fabled device are available yet either, nor do I have a product sheet that specifically gives the final production details on this new device. I saw it, I touched it, and I talked to the PR peeps all about it - but damnit, I couldn’t take any photos of it. So, please be aware that all the information you’re about to read is based on my memory, and is based on the pre-production version I saw over 2 months ago. Things may have changed since then.

Tentatively, we’ll call this device the Dell DJ Satellite. I have a feeling it may take on another name but that’s just speculation. Like XM’s upcoming Samsung neXus device, the “Dell DJ Satellite” is a combo MP3/XM Satellite Radio player with live functionality when the unit is docked.

But unlike the neXus - which will come in 25-hour (512Mb) and 50-hour (1Gb) flavors - the Dell/XM unit will have 6Gb of capacity which is a whole lot more hours of listening (though I’ve never been a big fan of describing “hours” of listening — too many factors involved). When docked, the unit will receive XM Satellite Radio and will allow for saving of XM content to the unit for later listening. You can of course mix in your own MP3s with the satrad content. Like the neXus, the Dell unit uses XM’s Connect-and-Play technology. There were several other plugs on the back of the cradle, but I’ll be damned if I can remember what they were for — obviously much more than just plugging into your computer. Take a guess on that.

The unit I saw was small - very small. A nice sleek device that was black in color, and from what I was told, features a titanium backing - this thing was hot. There was the possibility that the DJ will come in different colors, though at the time I couldn’t get any specific answers. Pink was a definite possibility. I really can’t describe how sleek this thing looked, and I really wish I had pics for all to see, but honestly it’s gorgeous. From what I remember (validated by the various leaked reports) the display is a color display — though I can’t recall how many colors exactly.

The XM/Dell unit will also be equipped with an FM tuner, not that anyone should be using that feature, but it’s nice to have it available just in case you want to listen to some commercials for a while. The PC Mag article mentions two separate Dell units, but I can’t confirm that - all I saw was one unit, and 30Gb of capacity was never mentioned. But again, things could have changed (and I’m sure we’ll find out for sure soon enough). Like the neXus as well, the Dell DJ Satellite unit will have the XM + Napster functionality allowing for tagging of songs for future purchase.

Price? Don’t know the exact price of course, but I was told it would be comparable to current models. Dell prices it’s Pocket DJ at $169 and it’s big-boy DJ ranging from $199 to $239 — so that can provide an educated guess for the price positioning. Stay tuned as we’ll all find out all the full details as soon as the product sheet is released.

Anyway, so that’s that. You can rest easy now, because yes, it’s all true.

XM just announced that Honda will factory-install over 550,000 of its 2006 vehicles with XM Satellite Radio. As a result, a record number of Honda and Acura cars and trucks will be arriving at dealer showrooms very shortly.

For the first time ever, XM is now factory-installed on the all-new 2006 Honda Civic, one of the best-selling model lines in the U.S., and the award-winning 2006 Honda Pilot sport-utility vehicle. The following Honda models also include XM Satellite Radio as a factory-installed feature for the 2006 model year: Honda Accord, Honda Accord Hybrid, Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Honda Element, and Honda Ridgeline.

XM Satellite Radio is a standard factory-installed feature on all Acura RL, Acura TL, Acura TSX and Acura MDX models.