Tip: BlackBerry — Tuning In Satellite Radio

The future of satellite radio generates as much speculation as that of traditional terrestrial radio. But while audiophiles can stream many radio stations from any Internet-capable phone, listening to XM on your BlackBerry seems like a natural confluence of satellite technologies.

XM Radio Mobile is compatible with a variety of BlackBerry models including the Bold, Pearl, Curve, 8700 series and 8800 series. A free trial ships with the Bold. Though the service doesn't offer every XM channel, you can select from over two dozen options including various musical genres and comedy. All are commercial-free.

To sample XM Mobile on a BlackBerry, go to www.xmradio.com/mobile/blackberry.xmc and select either the option of texting a request from your phone for a link or following the instructions for downloading directly via your BlackBerry browser. The free trial gives you 10 minutes of listening, but you can't start and stop, you just get 10 minutes from the time you start listening.

Full service costs $7.99 to 8.99 per month.

Not surprisingly, streaming real-time audio from a satellite is resource-intense, so if you don't have a flat-rate data plan, XM Mobile may be an expensive