Beta testing the Samsung Helix from XM Satellite Radio
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Hi, everyone. Very recently I was given a chance to test and review the private beta of a brand new handheld by Samsung and XM Satellite Radio. For those who don't know, XM Satellite Radio is a company that broadcasts radio programming (music, news, weather, talk...) over the airwaves by satellite. The content is amplified by repeaters on the ground, strengthening the signal. The result is better coverage than land-based radio stations and more bandwidth (which means that XM can broadcast over hundreds of different channels). The sheer amount of channels allows XM to appeal to a very wide audience by dedicating each channel to a particular music genre or talk show. XM makes money by charging its subscribers thirteen dollars per month (full retail), which means that it can make most of its channels ad-free. When I was first told about it, I thought it would be far better than regular, land-based radio, but I had serious doubts about its ability to steal subscribers from the very large body of mp3-player toting teenagers (and adults). I thought that people would want the ability to customize what they listened to, not have it chosen for them by a disc jockey. After using it, I was impressed with the quality of the programming, but I still did not think it stood a chance against the iPod and its knockoffs.
Now XM is starting to test some devices that are designed to compete against the iPod. The one I tested is one of them. It is a handheld model called the "Helix", about the size of a regular iPod (not a nano), and it provides access to all of XM's programming via a small antenna on the top. It is black on the back and silver on the front. Below the screen (which is about the size of the average cell-phone screen) are the main controls: the small buttons (mode, play/pause, and display) and the navigation buttons, a la iPod click wheel. In fact, if you took off the XM logo, the Helix would look like an expensive iPod knockoff. However, the functions of the various buttons on the "click wheel" are quite different from those of a real iPod wheel. On the right side of the handheld are a volume control and a switch which, when pulled down, turns the player on or off then pops back up to the middle position, and, when pushed up, locks the player so that your music is not messed up if you accidentally press buttons while walking with the player in your pocket. The top of the player is pretty boring, with only the antenna, earbud port, and USB port. The software on the device is relatively straightforward. The GUI is simple and visually appealing. The battery level is at the top left, the coverage level next to it, and several other small icons further to the right. The navigation buttons, the "click wheel", are the most used parts of the device. They are used to access the menu, switch views, skip, and rewind. They allow you to flip through radio stations (XM calls them "channels") and see what they're playing before you actually hit "select" to switch the channel and commit yourself. The channels are divided into genres, making it easy for you to navigate through the genre blocks seperately from the individual channels with the navigation buttons. Hitting the "display" button, surprisingly enough, changes the display. It can display live stock quotes, sports scores, and, of course, the title and artist of the song or show currently playing.
But all these features are common in XM radios. The main feature of this particular handheld is the ability to record songs directly from the channels onto its built-in 1 gigabyte of storage and play them later. Hitting the mode button switches it from radio mode to mp3-player mode or vice versa. Basically, the Helix is a mp3 player/radio. During my tests, it worked very well, except for a few beta bugs. The battery life was really incredible. I used it heavily for a day, and when I plugged it in at the end of the day, it still had about nine tenths of a battery left. The sound quality was quite excellent, helped by the excellent earbuds that came with the device. The device also came with several accessories, including a dock, a charger, a USB cable, and a powerful external antenna. The USB cable and port, I just learned, will be used to sync the Helix with Napster. I believe this will allow users to buy complete songs...but I am not sure, and this feature is not available to the beta release. The device will be released in March/April 2006, and its suggested retail price is four hundred dollars. All in all, the new XM/Samsung handheld is an impressive device that, while high-priced, is probably worth the price.
Comments
That looks great! XM has some great programs on their radio service (a member of my family has XM). The screenshot makes it look like a Mp3 player more than a radio with a phone. Nice pink backround :D.
By 
Alex Morganis, at
1/26/2006 02:26:00 PM
Sry 'bout the background. I was on vacation, and the best thing I had was a pink blanket ;-)
By Illumen, at
1/26/2006 05:45:00 PM
No, no! I'm not upset, I just found it...funny. Great post.
By Alex Morganis, at
1/27/2006 12:36:00 PM
Could you comment on the live receive mode? Were you able to test this? Many of us own a MyFu and would really like to know if the on board antenna reception has improved.
Also, could you comment about the editability of recorded content. is it possible to delete single songs for example
By 
, at
1/28/2006 03:08:00 PM
>> Could you comment on the live receive mode? Were you able to test this? Many of us own a MyFu and would really like to know if the on board antenna reception has improved.
The on-board antenna has been improved, and though I have not actually used a MyFi, apparently there is a noticable difference.
>> Also, could you comment about the editability of recorded content. is it possible to delete single songs for example
It is definitely possible to delete a song. Songs can also be organized by band and in other ways.
By Illumen, at
1/29/2006 06:37:00 PM
I know you can not compare the Helix to the MyFi, but could you comment on the Helix and how reception was for you in an absolute sense? How often did you get signal dropouts in live mode and in what kind of situations (e.g. when you put it in your pocket, when you were under a tree, walking around with the unit away from your body, etc). Thanks much.
By , at
1/31/2006 07:42:00 AM
The coverage was XM quality, I might compare it with the Roady XT. This is good because the Roady XT needs an external antenna and the Helix does not (although you can hook it up to the one that comes in the box if you want). Reception does not seem to vary when you have the thing in your pocket, although I was so immersed in channel flipping the channels and recording the majority of the time I did not carry it there the majority of the time. Neither does it seem to vary when you go under a tree. It did cut out on me when I walked under a large shed with a metal roof . . . overall, I'd say the coverage was good but not perfect. Remember, however, that this is a beta model and that there were several things not configured when I tested it. It may be that the actual reception is better when it is officially launched.
By Illumen, at
2/03/2006 05:22:00 AM
Is the antenna the same as other Xm recievers, or will I need to run a new antenna at work?
By , at
2/20/2006 02:09:00 PM
It has the same type of external antenna as the Roady, and I assume the antenna is XM-standard. It doean't matter, anyway: the Helix comes with an external antenna ;-).
Thanks for the comment!
By Illumen, at
2/20/2006 04:24:00 PM
I have to ask because I'm not familiar with portable xm units; would this be something that would work in a train? Subway car? I'm guessing it would work in a train, but the subway would be a no. Also, can you drag/drop mp3s into the unit? This would be my first mp3 player AND my first portable XM radio, so I would love to know if it would satisfy my desire to listen to mp3s AND xm radio on my commute into and out of New York City. Thanks!
By NJX70, at
3/24/2006 03:51:00 PM
Since the Helix worked perfectly well in a shuttle bus and several cars, I have to assume that it would work in a train (though I never actually tried that). I also have to assume that it would not work in a subway, though I have not tried that either . . . it's behavior under long bridges and thick-ceilinged buildings leads me to that conclusion.
Unfortunately I'm not completely sure about the answer to your second question, but I have a pretty good idea -- just don't quote me on it ;-). I believe that the Helix will be able to synchronize with Napster somehow, allowing you to actually buy music (or rent it via a Napster subscription) and listen to it on the device. Whether or not you can actually transfer music from your computer's library onto the Helix I do not know, but it seems like a pretty obvious feature to have . . . I'd definitely guess that you'd be able to do that.
If you decide to take the plunge, good luck!
By Illumen, at
3/30/2006 03:57:00 PM
