Samsung YX-M1Z Helix XM2go Portable Satellite Radio with MP3 Player

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.8 x 2.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000ELQUH2
• Item model number: YX-M1
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description Finally, a portable device that lets you play live XM radio content. That's right, wherever you roam the Samsung Helix lets you tap into more than 150 channels of satellite radio. It's a big step forward for XM radio lovers, but there's more. With the Helix, you can combine live XM radio with your personal digital music collection (MP3s and WMA). This means you can enjoy your own music library while being exposed to all the new music and content that XM radio has to offer.

With the Helix, you can receive and play live satellite broadcasts while you're on the go. View larger.

XM radio offers an incredible selection of music, sports, talk, and more.

So how did they get a complete satellite receiver into a device that measures 3.7 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches? By using an advanced satellite/terrestrial internal antenna that allows the device to receive signals from anywhere. The device is light, too, weighing in at just 4.5 ounces. The unit's full-color, 180 x 180 TFT display, as well as a user-friendly interface, make it easy to save and delete content. In addition to making it easy to find the music you want to listen to quickly, the interface lets you build your own playlists right on the device that consist of XM radio content and your own digital music. Another cool feature is the Helix's built-in memory buffer, which allows you to save an entire XM radio song even if you decide to save it in the middle of the song. The Helix's internal memory supports up to 50 hours of saved content.

Featuring a full array of programming -- from talk shows, comedy programs, and live Major League Baseball broadcasts to just about every musical genre from bluegrass to jazz -- XM Radio is the fastest growing satellite radio network in the world. All XM metadata is displayed on the Helix's display, including full song title and artist name, as well as information extras such as stock and sports score tickers. The device also sports a category list for saving and accessing favorite channels.

Another great feature of the Helix is TuneSelect, which alerts you when one of your favorite artists or songs is being played on an XM channel. Plus, the Helix supports the XM + Napster music service. If you hear a song you like on XM radio, simply "tag" it and easily purchase and download that artist or song via Napster. It's a great way to discover and own the music you like. And last, but certainly not least, the Helix features an integrated wireless FM transmitter so you can beam XM content to any FM radio frequency, making it very easy to listen to XM content on any home or car stereo.

What's in the Box
YX-M1Z XM radio/MP3 player, battery, earbuds, remote control, home dock/cradle, home XM antenna, AC power adapter, travel power cable, RCA audio cable, USB cable, carrying case/holster, user's guide, and software CD-ROM.

Product Description

1GB Flash memory

Up to 50 hours of XM programming in memory

1.7" TFT color display

Home cradle with XM antenna included

Plays pre-recorded XM content

Rechargeable battery

Supports MP3/WMA files from your personal collection or a pay service

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid quality with great features, August 1, 2006

By 

sanuk (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung YX-M1Z Helix XM2go Portable Satellite Radio with MP3 Player (Electronics)

I am new to the XM/satellite radio world so I don't have any legacy relative value issues compared to past or competing XM radios (e.g., FM transmitters). I can only describe my view of this product on its own merits...and I must say I've been thoroughly impressed. Browsing channels and listening to stations is easy as can be, the content is pretty solid, and the moreover, this Samsung unit looks good and works well. It is a VERY hassle free way of discovering and saving new music.

I can't get enough of the feature where if you're listening to a song or program, at any time you can hold the center button for a second and it will record the entire song (since the beginning!) and save it to memory, for listening later. It's a great way to build a library! Never again do I have to hear a song on the radio and try to guess what song it is and hope that maybe I can buy the album later. With this, I've got a pure digital copy on here, ready to go on what is effectively my portable music player!

Only drawback is that, as a satellite radio, I find that you do need reasonable access to the sky to get a signal (it starts to cut out about five to ten feet away from a window, for example). So I can't use this in the middle of a giant office building (read: my workplace). But, when I'm home the "home antenna" is connected to the docking cradle. Once in the cradle, it's plug and play and I never worry about reception. Also, I can have it record programs and whatnot for listening later...kinda like a Tivo.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Me - Better than an iPod, June 4, 2007

By 

Steve Conslaw (INDIANAPOLIS, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung YX-M1Z Helix XM2go Portable Satellite Radio with MP3 Player (Electronics)

Almost 3 years ago, my wife got an iPod. Three weeks ago, I got the Samsung Helix. Already, I've listened to the Helix more than she's listened to the iPod. Why is that? My wife's too busy to load up her iPod. The dirty little secret to the iPod is that, although it holds thousands of songs, to enjoy thousands of songs, you have to spend hundreds of hours loading the iPod with thousands of songs. If you do it legitimately, it will cost thousands of dollars to load thousands of songs on the iPod. Contrast this with the Samsung Helix. With the Helix, you immediately have access to all the live XM content. You can record songs from radio broadcasts automatically, and you can use Samsung's Napster service for loading via computer, similar to iPod/iTunes.

The Samsung Helix debuted a year ago with a price near $400, video iPod territory, but now it's selling for about $100, the price of an iPod Nano. At the new price, the faults of the Helix are inconsequential, and compared to the Nano, it's a steal. Let's say your iPod budget for new songs is $12/month. At the end of a year, if you play fair, you have 144 songs. If you put the same money into an XM subscription, you have access to hundreds of songs practically immediately. If you're in a hurry to get a specific song, you can buy it or load it from your PC via its Napster software.

The Ownership Experience:

I unpacked the Helix, read the directions, and charged it up. I set it to record some stations overnight, and the next morning, I had hours of fresh music to listen to. I can also listen live to over a hundred streams of music, sports, news and comedy. I can keep the songs I like, and delete the ones I don't. No sweat, no problems.

I live in an area with good ground transmitters, so even without access to the southern sky, I usually get good reception, even indoors and in my car with just the built-in antenna. For the times that I can't get radio reception, I have hundreds of songs that I have pre-recorded and stored in the Helix's half-gigabyte flash memory. The display is excellent. The battery life is good, about 4 hours. The home dock is convenient and reception is improved with the indoor antenna attached to the dock.

Nitpicks: The earbuds aren't great. It could use some more sound-contouring options. The Napster software only works with Windows machines, and I have a Mac. More memory wouldn't hurt (but I haven't run out yet.) The car cord should come with the main unit, and they shouldn't have crippled the FM transmitter. Channel preset buttons would be nice. It would be nice if it picked up AM & FM radio.

Tips you won't find anywhere else: I replaced an old XM radio, a Delphi Roady2 (that bit the dust) with this one. Don't bother going to the XM website for instructions on how to replace one radio with another, you won't find the answer there. Call their toll-free line and select the option to talk to a live representative. The live representative can add the new receiver to your account in the place of the old one. By the way, the Roady2 antenna works with the Helix, but not the AC adapter or car cord. The Roady2 remote mostly works with the Helix.

Judging by the blow-out prices in May-June 2007, the successor to this first-generation Helix may be coming out any day now. Once it hits the streets, there will be a short window where you can compare the two and either get the old one on close-out or the new one. It makes a great Father's Day present.

Update: July 2007

Now that I've had the Helix for a few months. I've learned a bit more. Around town (Indianapolis IN), I can receive signal in the car with the built-in antenna. On a long trip, however, most of the time, I had to use an external antenna. Since I don't have the car dock, I took the home-dock with me. You need the home dock to connect the external antenna, but you don't need to connect AC power to the home dock. I used the mobile antenna to my defunct Delphi Roady2.

Although the included software does not work with the Mac, according to more than one website, the Mac will recognize a Helix attached via USB as a disc, and there is limited file management available. I haven't tried this yet.

Finally, it looks like prices are going up, not down, as Samsung works through its stocks. It could be that a planned replacement is being held up due to resistance by the powers that be that don't like portable satellite radios that store content.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Satellite Receiver but...., December 13, 2006

By 

D. Scott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung YX-M1Z Helix XM2go Portable Satellite Radio with MP3 Player (Electronics)

I purchased a Helix and find that it is a great piece of electronic hardware. However, out of the box it has a firmware glitch that causes the battery to drain overnight if it is off the cradle. The reason being is that even off, the unit is still powering the remote control receiver. A simple firmware upgrade at XM Radio fixed the problem.

Performance of the internal antenae is hit or miss. I have received great reception inside of a large grocery store while at other times it cuts out on the dash of my car. It just depends on where you are. The external antenae works great.

With 50 hours of recording time, I record channels overnight so I can listen when reception is spotty. The overall controls are easy to use. Sound quality is not CD quality, more like low grade FM. Channel selection is great.

I would recommend this product, but just be sure to update the firmware.

As a note, I learned after some research that the Inno and the Helix are made by a subsidiary of XM and sold under the Pioneer and Samsung label, so they are virtually identical. Technical support at XM was more helpfull than at Samsung