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Sirius XM Edge Satellite Car RadioSirius XM

Sirius XM Edge Satellite Car Radio

  • $149.99
  • Available at: Future Shop, Best Buy and The Source

It's been almost a year since Sirius and XM Canada announced the successful merger of the two satellite radio entities, thereby completing the fusion that had already been operating in the United States. But aside from interviews and press releases, there has been little else to indicate that the two are now one. The XM Edge is one unit meant to bring the best of both in one unit.

Except it won't do that – yet.

Before they merged, Sirius and XM essentially offered much of the same content, save for a handful of exclusive channels on each side. Those exclusives were supposed to be the culmination of the merger for consumers, and were offered to U.S. subscribers months after the merger in 2008 under a "Best Of" add-on costing $4 extra per month.

The Edge Car Radio, despite bearing the XM brand, is a unit capable of playing content from Sirius (as is evidenced south of the border), but it can't here because Sirius XM Canada hasn't offered the "Best Of" to Canadians yet. That means it can play NHL games and Oprah (XM exclusives) but not Howard Stern, Playboy or NFL Radio (Sirius exclusives).

When asked about this discrepancy, Sirius XM Canada was non-committal. "Since the merger was approved, Sirius XM Canada has been looking at the possibility of a 'Best Of' package for subscribers. This is something that may be offered in the future," the company said in a statement. Additionally, it added that accessing the extra channels isn't dependent on the type of radio you use, but rather on the satellite broadcast alone.

All of this is a letdown for those wanting the best of both worlds because the Edge Car Radio is a nice unit all around. Vibrant with its colour display and user-friendly with its DIY install (via the car's Aux-In jack), there is some incentive to start with. You can also opt to get it professionally installed too, if you'd rather go a different route with the connection.

Once up and running, you have 10 presets you can save to corresponding buttons on the Edge. Nothing really new there, as that's been a staple feature for a number of in-car satellite radio units. You can also pause, rewind and replay content up to 30 minutes as you see fit, and the Edge includes a parental lock that silences channels with mature content.

Though the Edge comes with a car kit, it doesn't come with a home one, so your best bet for taking your content with you is to either get a compatible XM dock or listen online, which costs an extra $2.99 per month if you're an existing XM subscriber.

Ultimately, there isn't anything overly revolutionary in the Edge, other than that it's more aesthetically pleasing and easier to navigate. Having the Best Of included would've made a real difference, but unfortunately, Canadians will still have to wait for undetermined amount of time.

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