Published: August 25, 2005, 8:02 AM PDT

By Dinesh C. Sharma

Special to CNET News.com

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Sirius Satellite Radio has unveiled a portable music device that can store the company`s programming as well as MP3 files from a PC.

The S50 is designed to let people record, store and play up to 50 hours of satellite radio programming and music files, the company said Thursday. A home dock or a car dock--the latter is bundled with the player--is needed to record the programming or play live shows. Measuring 1.9 inches by 3.9 inches by 0.7 inches, the player features a color display and voice-assisted channel navigation.

Sirius is one of the numerous companies trying to make a dent in the digital music market, which is currently dominated by Apple Computer`s iPod.

The S50 is set to start shipping in October for $359. The price includes a car dock.

Content can be recorded and stored in different sections such as ``My Sirius channels,`` which automatically gathers programming from a person`s three most-listened-to channels.

``My Sirius songs`` lets people save their favorite music, while the ``scheduled record`` feature can be used to capture favorite shows on a one-time or recurring basis. Playlists can also be created with MP3/WMA files by connecting the home dock to a PC.