There's no question that satellite radio is compelling. It's commercial-free music in a multi-verse of channels that cater to those with discerning tastes and eclectic needs. Few would turn it down if it were free.

The issue for some isn't the subscription fees so much as it is the yet-another-radio dilemma. Our lives are already full of clock radios, car stereos, and MP3 players. In order to add satellites to that mix you need, well, yet-another-radio. The XM SkyDock is the first system, the first parting of the clouds for that issue, adding satellite service to an iPod Touch or iPhone you already own.

The SkyDock is a car dock, iPhone/iTouch charger, FM transmitter, and radio combined. This is the marriage of utility and innovation we all look for in cool accessories. The simplicity's there too: installation is but a few steps. And there are only a few physical buttons on the device itself to contend with. Many features, but no confusion.

It's a bit weird having your iPhone suspended in the air on the end of a flexible insect-like stalk, but the assembly is fairly rigid. The base fits into a car's cigarette lighter socket and the arm is stiff enough to keep from swinging around. The real adjustment takes place at the dock on the very end, where two clamps grasp your iPhone on the sides and a 30-pin connector holds it from below. It's easy to pull your iPhone closer to you, tilt it to compensate for reflections, and turn the screen to landscape mode.

If there's a trick, it's the antennae. One end connects into a hidden port on the base while the other end has to be placed somewhere on the roof with a magnetic mount, leaving you to find a way to hide the length of cable in between. Once in place, you need only download the free XM SkyDock app from the iTunes App Store to start activation and finish installation.

It's the app that supplies an interface on the Apple device's screen, delivering access not only to the satellite radio service, but settings and options for the FM transmitter, parental controls, and available weather and traffic services. While this helps reduce the number of physical buttons on the unit itself, it creates limitations. The iPhone can only run one app at a time; this means the moment you quit the XM application to check e-mail or use GPS navigation, the radio transmission is silenced. Incoming calls, on the other hand, put the music on pause; once you finish chatting, the music or talk radio will re-commence.

The interface leverages Apple's intuitive touch-screen system, allowing you to flick the screen to glide through channels and music categories, swipe sideways to move through content previews, and use simple taps to select pre-sets, favourites, and active features. While the layout of channels and information replicates the experience of other XM radios, the touch controls do make it more pleasurable to surf the selections.

If there's an iPhone-like quality that XM has brought to its SkyDock, it's the ability to "tag" songs being played with a simple tap on the screen. Satellite radio is well-known for playing overlooked gems and cutting-edge artists worthy of discovery. By tagging them with a one-tap system (which conforms to most hands-free regulations), you can receive a notification each time that song or artist plays on any channel. Tapping the "listen" option on one of these notification switches your radio over to that broadcast. You can also purchase a tagged song from the iTunes Store. Selecting this option closes the SkyDock app and opens the iTunes app, taking you straight to your song selection. Although handy, to avoid data costs, it's best to use this option only when connected to a WiFi source.

The XM SkyDock is an impressive leap forward for satellite radio and, considering it's a first-of-its-kind product, offers few hitches. Clearly, XM has been eagerly awaiting the day when devices like the iPhone can run apps and connect them to accessory devices. As more smartphones deliver this kind of opportunity, satellite radio will become easier to use and should discover a new beginning for itself.

There are just two features I wish could have been included: the ability to play music in the background while using other iPhone functions; and a feature to record radio broadcasts. But those will no doubt appear as both gadgets evolve forward.

XM SkyDock: $130
XM Subscription: $15/mo.

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