Las Vegas — BlackBerry users will be able to stream 20 channels of XM music and comedy channels through any U.S. mobile service provider with the launch here at CTIA 2008 of QuickPlay’s OpenVideo platform.
The platform makes XM Radio Mobile service available via cellular-data airwaves on any BlackBerry regardless of service provider. To date, XM Radio Mobile has been available only on select phones sold through Alltel and ATT Wireless.
Downloadable software for BlackBerry enables access to 20 XM commercial-free music and comedy channels at $7.99/month with an option for a complementary 24-hour trial. It’s available. The software can be downloaded via a BlackBerry’s Web browser from www.XMradio.com/bb or by texting the letters XM to 47201 and clicking on the download link provided.
The XM channels are accessed via a user interface with graphical icons for content genres and channels. The software lets users see the song title, artist and album of a song that’s playing as well as what’s playing in real-time on other XM Radio Mobile channels. Subscribers can also listen to XM while performing other BlackBerry tasks.
Available channels include XM’s 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s decade channels, 20on20 (Top 20 hits), Ethel (new alternative rock), The City (hip-hop/R&B hits), XMU (indie rock), Watercolors (easy jazz) and Highway 16 (new country hits). The comedy channels are The Virus (outrageous XL talk) and XM Comedy (everything funny XL).
