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A Combination Satellite and Internet Streaming Radio Service

Slacker, a new model of satellite and Internet radio that combines the portability of satellite radio with the customization features of personal audio devices, was launched in 2007 by a San Diego-based start-up company of the same name.

The Mobile Phone That Switches Between Satellites and Cell Towers

Inmarsat, a provider of mobile satellite services, released the IsatPhone in summer 2007, a handheld voice and data phone that overcomes some of the disadvantages of traditional satellite phones, such as the lack of coverage indoors and in urban canyons, by its ability to communicate via standard cell phone networks.

Satellite TV in a Suitcase

DIRECTV, one of two major direct-to-home (DTH) providers serving North America, unveiled a portable satellite TV in January 2007. The portable TV unit houses a 17-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen in a carrying case that resembles a briefcase. An antenna, rather than a dish, receives signals from DIRECTV’s satellites.