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Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

wired.com

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Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#61

Post by kosmos1337 »

Xylakant wrote: post #48
ch4ck wrote: post #20

In my country one has to pay to the regime for using/owning "radio/tv receiver". That's why I am happy to have more devices without unblocked analog FM. It means for me more choice without having to pay for the brainwashing/propaganda.

if you're referring to Germany, you're obliged to pay anyways - whether you own a device or not (it's per household/company since a while). It doesn't matter how many devices you own though. And you're not paying "the regime", you're paying an independent institution. It's not a tax by design though it may feel like one. The government never gets to touch the money. Now, there's a ton of things that are wrong with ou…

ch4ck might have meant Poland, since there is a similar requirement here. However, the sentiment towards it is extremely negative because the new government (which is viewed very unfavorably by many) has decided to increase the monthly contribution, crack down on non-payers and tie the payment to your electricity bill. This also creates an issue for people and institutions who pay multiple electricity bills and thus are unfairly burdened by this new tax.

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#62

Post by donretag »

smegel wrote: post #39

Australian here, also find it bizarre that this is a problem in the US. Biggest problem I have in my Android phone requires the head-phones to be plugged in to listen to FM...as it acts as the aerial.

I do not think the issue is with the US, but with iphones. Every Android phone I have owned has always had an FM radio app.

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#63

Post by sotojuan »

dazc wrote: post #59
alex_young wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just block the JS. I looked around for a JS blocker, and found ScriptSafe, which makes the web really usable. I turn on JS for the servers I trust, and sites like Wired and NYT just feed me readable text without any ads.

What's the advantage of using an add-on like ScriptSafe against just disabling JS in settings?

You can whitelist easier and quicker and in some blockers you can block specific ad or tracker domains only.

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#65

Post by krzyk »

guelo wrote: post #12
OJFord wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No anti-adblock message with uBlock. That video (assuming we're seeing the same one) seems to be a short Wired production; unrelated content rather than advert.

I see the anti-adblock with my uBlock. Must be your filters. Edit: yep, I just activated the "Anti-Adblock Killer | Reek‎" filter and it's gone.

Strange, I have uBlock Origin and the Anti-Adblock killer | Reek, yet I still see the nag

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#66

Post by dmit »

smcl wrote: post #54
jrockway wrote: post #42

More interesting would be getting the weather radio signal (not on the FM broadcast band, it's AM around 160MHz), and having the phone change which SAME code it's sensitive to as you move around. I know you are supposed to get an SMS or something whenever there is a severe weather event, but after a million amber alerts and a flood warning a few states away, that's the first thing I turn off when I get a new phone. I…

Is this just an american thing? I haven't heard of it over here

Japan has something similar for earthquakes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_Early_Warning_(Japa...

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#67

Post by crummy »

donretag wrote: post #62
smegel wrote: post #39

Australian here, also find it bizarre that this is a problem in the US. Biggest problem I have in my Android phone requires the head-phones to be plugged in to listen to FM...as it acts as the aerial.

I do not think the issue is with the US, but with iphones. Every Android phone I have owned has always had an FM radio app.

My Nexus 6P has no radio app, and when I just downloaded one (NextRadio) it said my phone didn't have the required software.

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#68

Post by distances »

dazc wrote: post #59
alex_young wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just block the JS. I looked around for a JS blocker, and found ScriptSafe, which makes the web really usable. I turn on JS for the servers I trust, and sites like Wired and NYT just feed me readable text without any ads.

What's the advantage of using an add-on like ScriptSafe against just disabling JS in settings?

I use uMatrix for blocking scripts. By default I allow all 1st party scripts, and disable the rest. Then I can enable additional sources one by one if site functionality (e.g. playing YouTube videos) needs it.

Re: Your Phone Has an FM Chip. So Why Can’t You Listen to the Radio?

#69

Post by danjc »

alsetmusic wrote: post #53
Frondo wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny, I really like listening to a number of local stations for the variety of music I get introduced to; but somehow, the fact that there is a real person curating it makes me enjoy it. Listening to spotify, it doesn't do it for me. Something about having someone come on, make a little human conversation, that's part of the experience for me. Algorithms don't cut it.

It's strange to me to read a positive comment about terrestrial radio broadcast amid so many complaints about ad blocking on the web. I stopped listening to radio many years ago and now I have an irrational resentment when I hear car stereos blasting pointless, noisy ads at traffic stops. I always wonder what allows people to mentally tune them out rather than decreasing the volume until music resumes. This is in no…

Agreed. You don't realize how invasive radio and TV advertising is until you don't have it.
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