OTHER TECH

Car

Although there are now plenty of alternatives, the car is still the most popular place to enjoy satellite radio. Almost every car manufacturer now offers Sirius or XM as an option (click to read "New-Car Options"), but it's also very easy to add satellite radio to any car you already own.

The plug-and-play units described above are a great choice if your car doesn't use a standard rectangular radio or if you're driving a leased car and you don't want to hack up the dash to make room for a new head unit. But most leading car stereo makers now offer a wide range of satellite-ready in-dash radios that work in tandem with a hideaway satellite tuner module. Kenwood, Panasonic, and Clarion offer Sirius-ready units, while Sony, Alpine, and Pioneer are in the XM camp. These radios range from simple AM/FM/cassette players like the Pioneer KEH-P2030 ($125) to elaborate DVD player systems with flip-up LCD video screens like Kenwood 's $2,000 KVT-815DVD. alpine-usa.com , panasonic.com, pioneerusa.com, sonystyle.com

A lot of people get hooked on satellite radio after buying one for the commute or after checking it out in a rental car. Now there are finally excellent ways to satisfy that addiction all the time, whether you're at home or traveling. It's enough to make you kick the commercial-radio habit for good.