uSirius app for iPhone in limited Beta release

NiceMac LLC Releases Private Beta 1 of uSirius StarPlayr 1.5.2009
HowardForums: Your Mobile Phone Community & Resource - uSirius StarPlayr - Sirius XM on iPhone

 

I am one of the few who have this on their phone now.

I'll get up some pics, etc.. soon.

 

how is it?

 

So far, it's great.

It works very well on Edge and I get crappy AT&T service at my house.

The features are great. It still needs to be updated since the new channels on the 15th.

It runs well and it's a smooth app. It has what you need. The SQ is good. It runs maybe a second or two behind the SAT feed.

 

I think if they can get this finalized and released it would be most helpful in keep Sirius XM in the thick of things. Right now you've got Slacker, Pandora, AOL, LastFM all available in this really cool device. Sirius needs to be there.

 

I was looking forward to this until I heard that soon XM / Sirius will start charging and extra $2.99 a month to access their online streams. (Which is something we get free now)

I am getting very frustrated with Sirius XM. It seems just when it looks like the bads times are behind us they do something stupid again.

 

Not approved

NiceMac Press Release

 

So, does this mean they have to make changes for it to be approved or does this mean they are never going to approve it?

I always wondered if Sirius XM had any say about them approving this application since it would be streaming their service.

 

some info here:

StarPlayr for iPhone - Page 34 - GeeksToolbox Forums

 

This one makes me mad...

This is one of two applications that I have been waiting for (the other being the Slingplayer App) and it appears Apple / AT&T are screwing with their iPhone users again.

I could see Sirius XM not wanting it released , personally I think that Sirius XM should purchse the app from NICEMAC and release it as a Sirius XM branded product.

 

Why are you assuming that it's Apple screwing it's customers and not an issue with the app itself?

 

Right. Why is anyone assuming anything about WHY it wasn't. We all can take guesses, but until info comes out we don't really know why it isnt currently approved.

 

In reading the thread that Stew posted, I get the feeling that it was Sirius XM that gave this application and thumbs down and made it clear to Apple they didn't want it approved. I could be wrong, but that seems to be what they are saying without actually saying it.

 

Because I know a number of testers and all were shocked at how stable it was.

 

I don't think the stability is in question or the reason the app isn't in the iTunes Store yet. My opinion of course.

 

Out of all the things I don't think stability was it.

I do think however that it was one of the following.. (And these are just my guesses)

AT&T - They want customers to pay for their bandwidth but not actually use it

Sirius XM - Perhaps they don't want NICEMAC to release this as they are working on their own official player. I can't see Sirius XM not wanting people to have something like this especially considering that the online listening is going to be an extra charge soon meaning more money for Sirius XM.

I am also wondering if on March 11th the way serving is done from Sirius XM is going to change which would cause StarPlyr not to work and thats why they cat approve it "at this time."

I can't see Apple holding this back and see no reason for them to do so. There are so many other stream music programs out there, Slacker, Pandora, IHEART RADIO and many others, this is just another streaming program for Apple.

I am wondering if NICEMAC has been working on this with Sirius XM or have said screw it, lets just do this. That relationship there (or lack of one) could explain a lot as well.

 

I would not be at all surprised to see SiriusXM come out with App soon....

 

I think this is the biggest question of all and there really has been no indications one way or the other from these guys. Surely they would have actually met with Sirius XM and got approval, but maybe not and this could be the whole thing in a nut shell. Unlike Slacker, Pandora and the others with streaming software they were streaming their own content with their own agreements with recording labels. NICEMAC on the other hand is totally a 3rd party, has no agreements to deliver content and would be using Sirius XM as their source for content. Though they are only providing the platform for which Sirius XM subscribers could obtain the content and subscription must still be had with Sirius XM. However, they would be making a profit if they sold the application and this may not be sitting real well with Sirius XM.

You can bet if Sirius XM has their own software in the works, it won't be as nice as the NICEMAC version!

The bottom line? Who knows for sure?

 

The only sensible reason for Sirius XM to hold this up, is because they don't want multi-subs giving away their online listening passwords to iphone users while they are still free. Sirius subsidizes radios, so they cost them money every time people buy one, so I don't think competing equipment sales has anything to do with it. I can definitely see ATT complaining about bandwidth consumption, especially since next month paid streamers will be moving to 128k stream.

 

I said this in the other thread, but as an AT&T Customer I pay for 5 GB of data transfer a month and I pay the same amount no matter if I use the bandwidth or not. It should be up to me to decide how I use the bandwidth I am paying for.

Its funny AT&T is the company with "Anytime Minutes" where I can bank any unused phone minutes I haven't used to use at a later time... why dont they offer "Anytime bandwidth" where I can bank any unused bandwidth.