May 26 - 8:40pm EDT   Microsoft tonight confirmed the existence of the Zune HD, its first-ever touchscreen media player. The company readily acknowledges that the player is meant to compete against the iPod touch and will have a 3.3-inch, 480x272 OLED screen with a multi-touch interface. It earns its name through the first inclusion of a portable HD Radio tuner for digital broadcasts as well as HD video playback through a special dock. For the first time on a Zune, the HD will also use its Wi-Fi to browse the web and should come with a special version of Internet Explorer designed for touch. [full story]

April 16 - 2:45pm EDT   Alpine this afternoon said it has started shipping the iXA-W404, its first touchscreen media head-end for cars to occupy 2 DIN slots. The device centers on a 4.3-inch touchscreen that lets users navigate the media content of any dockable iPhone or iPod, including through quick skipping tricks for larger collections. It can also play video when the vehicle isn't moving. [full story]

March 12 - 2:00pm EDT   TEAC on Thursday announced the release of its first tabletop dock radio with HD Radio support. Besides improved audio quality, HD Radio support gives listeners on-screen artist and title information from the roughly 2,000 stations in the air. The HD-1 also sports a dock for charging and playing music content from iPods and iPhones. The artist and song information also enables the iTunes Tagging feature, which lets users save the information of a song they like and find the track the next time the Apple device syncs with iTunes. [full story]

February 10 - 8:25pm EST   People aware of the situation have told the New York Times that satellite radio provider Sirius XM is readying itself for the possibility it may declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Although still solvent, the company is believed talking with experts in bankruptcy cases and restructuring and has made enough progress in the necessary documents that it could make its declaration "within days." No official signals have been given regarding a potential collapse. [full story]

January 13 - 4:15pm EST   At the 2009 CES in the HD Radio display, there was a demonstration of the smallest application of an HD Radio chip in the form of the KRI Armband Portable HD Radio Receiver. What is basically a portable HD Radio device with MP3 playback capabilities shows the evolution of HD Radio as it can be packaged into ever smaller devices. [full story]

December 30 - 4:35pm EST   iLuv has unveiled its latest audio device, the iHD171 HD Radio that integrates a dock for an iPod or iPhone. The device features TV connection capabilities for watching videos and iTunes tagging that will save HD radio song information on the mobile device. Station, song title, band and frequency information is displayed on the front LCD panel. The clock automatically syncs to match the time on the docked device, while users can choose to wake or sleep to the iPod, iPhone, AM/FM radio or buzzer. Standard analog AM and FM signals are also supported and can be assigned to 30 available presets. [full story]

September 29 - 3:50pm EDT   Democratic Congressman Edward Markey on Monday submitted a bill that would potentially require all satellite radios to also include a competing standard. The Radio All Digital Channel Receiver Act (PDF) would require that Sirius XM and any other satellite radio provider also providing AM/FM tuning also support at least some form of land-based digital radio, effectively mandating the use of iBiquity Digital's HD Radio format. The move would attempt to reinsert a clause ruled out of the FCC's Sirius XM merger approval which would have asked for a similar provision before the merger could be approved. [full story]

September 19 - 2:00pm EDT   Sony lived up to promises and today launched four separate iPhone- and iPod-supporting speaker docks. The S10HDiP is Sony's first iPhone-capable audio system to support HD Radio with iTunes Tagging, which flags tracks on supporting radio stations so that they can be purchased the next time an iPod docks with its host computer. It also claims an AM/FM radio with 20 presets for each band and an aux-in jack for outside sources. Sony ships the S10iP this month for $180. [full story]

August 27 - 12:45pm EDT   Sony today revamped its Xplod car stereo head-end units with its first truly iPod-aware models. The GT630UI, GT430IP, GT330 and GT130 all have a USB connection that allows iPods and (for the GT630UI) iPhones to be controlled and charged through the stereo's own interface rather than the player itself. The same support also allows other MP3 players to be recognized through the digital link. [full story]

June 20 - 2:25pm EDT   The Federal Communications Commission has quietly put the proposed merger between Sirius and XM on its Items on Circulation list. The move indicates that at least a draft proposal for the satellite radio union will be discussed by the FCC and that a final decision on the merger could be made shortly after FCC commissioners discuss the draft. The government agency recently hinted at increased progress earlier this week when it proposed approval of the deal as long as conditions are honored for a-la-carte pricing and channels dedicated to certain public interest groups. [full story]

June 16 - 7:35am EDT   The Federal Communications Commission's staff today tentatively proposed that the US government agency approve the long-delayed merger between satellite radio providers Sirius and XM. The move potentially leads to a completed approval in as soon as three weeks and has received the early blessing of FCC chair Kevin Martin, who states that the union would be "in the public interest" as long as the unified company continues to voluntarily abide by certain conditions. [full story]

June 5 - 1:30pm EDT   Federal Communications Commission chief Kevin Martin on Thursday told CNBC that his agency is nearing approval of the long-delayed Sirius and XM merger. While declining to give a timetable for any decision, Martin says the FCC hopes to make its choice "soon" and that the two satellite radio providers have agreed to make changes to their price structure to clear legal hurdles, including an option for subscribers to order individual channels rather than complete bundles and to specifically exclude channels with objectionable content. [full story]

April 30 - 3:10pm EDT   iLuv today branched out of its comfortable field of iPod-focused stereos with its first HD Radio-capable systems. The i169 represents the flagship and includes both a top-mounted iPod dock as well as the newer digital radio feature, which improves on the quality of AM and FM stations, adds multiple stations to the same frequency, and allows for basic data such as weather. The i169 also serves as a dual alarm clock and will wake up either to an attached iPod, a radio station, or a simple buzzer. An aux-in jack for non-iPod devices will also be standard when iLuv ships the radio at the start of May for $170. [full story]

April 21 - 3:15pm EDT   Pioneer has started the week today with introductions for three high-end AVIC navigators. The DVD-equipped F900BT and Premier F90BT, as well as the CD-only F700BT, all offer in-dash mapping on a 5.8-inch wide touchscreen and support comparatively advanced GPS features such as Traffic Message Channel and support, an advanced voice command system, and text-to-speech to read out street names. Each, however, is built just as much for media playback: any can read discs with DivX, and MPEG-4 video as well as AAC, MP3, and WMA audio, while 2GB of built-in memory as well as slots for both SD cards and USB that provide both audio and video support from flash storage. Both ... [full story]

April 7 - 1:55pm EDT   Clear Channel Radio says it is now offering more than 340 of its primary HD stations with the iTunes "tagging" function, capable of transferring a song heard on the radio to an Apple iPod (after purchase). "Radio continues to be the number one way that people discover new music, and the HD Radio iTunes tagging capability lets listeners add songs to their iPod playlists with just a push of the button," said John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio. "With the vast majority of our HD primary stations now offering this exciting feature, we're demonstrating how radio's collaboration with the iPod benefits consumers." [full story]