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The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

npr.org

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Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#71

Post by ctdonath »

kevinskii wrote: post #18
nostromo wrote: post #10

This is poor journalism, particularly coming from NPR. The NAB (including NPR) are lobbying to force all phones to include an FM radio. Since they can't say, "we want this to increase our ad revenue," they're using the tried and true, "it's a must for national security" approach. They've previously tried to get language added to Homeland Security bills that would force phone manufacturers to include radios. Besides,…

There's a difference between including an FM radio and simply turning on a pre-existing one via a software update, which apparently is possible on at least some phone models. And regardless of NPR's motives, their "it's needed for emergencies" argument is a pretty good one.

Just because the hardware is present doesn't mean it's easy to enable. Sure, the radio chip used in the iPhone may have an FM capability, but enabling it requires resources to write apps supporting it (you'd expect an FM-capable iPhone to have an FM app, right?), handle additional hardware considerations (FM that close to such a compact radio-noisy device may require nontrivial RF electronics & packaging changes), add an antenna (FM antennas are much longer than cellular ones, where to put it?), address convenience factors (using the headphones wire as an antenna only works insofar as there is a wired headphone attached, what about when it's not?), and generally adds complexity to a device that the designers didn't want that capability in to start with.

Instead of getting the FM receiver component enabled, you're more likely to have Apple et al tell & pay the radio chip makers to remove FM capability so they don't have to deal with some third party abusing the police power of the state to compel the manufacturers to make something do what they didn't want it to.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#72

Post by tinco »

mrshoe wrote: post #51

While half-baked conspiracy theories are fun, a good journalist would've consulted a few more sources to get to the bottom of this story. FM radio requires a large antenna. It will not work without one. The 5th generation iPod nano (2009) was the first iPod with an (enabled) FM radio. We used the headphone wire as the antenna. It worked well enough. While there was a tiny speaker in those iPods, headphones were the o…

It wasn't their intention to be good journalists in this article.

> "But the mobile industry, which profits from selling data to smartphone users, says that with the consumer's move toward mobile streaming apps, the demand for radio simply isn't there."

They are positioning the mobile industry so they look as if they're trying to profit from denying users FM radio.

It's sad that a news agency that prides on being for the public and independent so easily turns to straight up propaganda when it's to push their own agenda.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#73

Post by Dylan16807 »

anomalous wrote: post #61

I'm very surprised that many seem to simply accept the rhetoric of this story and its talking points. Exactly why are these chips being included and disabled, as opposed to not including them in the first place? No one seems to be questioning this part. Can anyone shed light on this? What is the back story here?

It's one part of a multi function chip and there's no reason to special order a version without FM.

Fun fact: at least for small orders you can get PICs cheaper than 555s.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#74

Post by Coding_Cat »

lelandbatey wrote: post #70
Pyxl101 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would it not be reasonable to recommend plugging in headphones before using the FM radio? People who really want radio for whatever reason can do it.

That is exactly what happens on my phone which has an fm radio app: http://imgur.com/0OITkLe.png

Same for my Galaxy S3, it has a radio app but it needs a pair of headphones to be plugged in.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#75

Post by kzrdude »

lelandbatey wrote: post #70
Pyxl101 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would it not be reasonable to recommend plugging in headphones before using the FM radio? People who really want radio for whatever reason can do it.

That is exactly what happens on my phone which has an fm radio app: http://imgur.com/0OITkLe.png

Mine includes the antenna explanation with the admonition.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#76

Post by mrshoe »

Pyxl101 wrote: post #64
mrshoe wrote: post #51

While half-baked conspiracy theories are fun, a good journalist would've consulted a few more sources to get to the bottom of this story. FM radio requires a large antenna. It will not work without one. The 5th generation iPod nano (2009) was the first iPod with an (enabled) FM radio. We used the headphone wire as the antenna. It worked well enough. While there was a tiny speaker in those iPods, headphones were the o…

Would it not be reasonable to recommend plugging in headphones before using the FM radio? People who really want radio for whatever reason can do it.

For iPod users, that is entirely reasonable (since they are basically required to have headphones handy to use the device at all), and that is exactly what we did.

For iPhone users, who never took their headphones out of the box, or lost them months ago, or simply left them at home today... it's less reasonable.

The fact is, most iPhone users don't have their headphones with them most of the time. That means the vast majority of launches of the Radio app would go straight to the "Please plug in your headphones" screen, at which point the user would be frustrated because they don't have headphones to plug in.

Whether it's worth it to include a feature that would result in frustration for many users, but yield utility for some users, is always a tough call. It's not black and white.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#77

Post by [deleted] »

kevinskii wrote: post #9

But Jot Carpenter, vice president of government affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association, resists the move to turn on the FM chip..."What Americans really want is the ability to stream, download and customize music playlists to meet their personal preferences," Carpenter said... I wonder if the people whose job it is to make these sorts of patronizing arguments privately feel embarrassed when doing so.

[deleted]

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#78

Post by ghshephard »

mrshoe wrote: post #51

While half-baked conspiracy theories are fun, a good journalist would've consulted a few more sources to get to the bottom of this story. FM radio requires a large antenna. It will not work without one. The 5th generation iPod nano (2009) was the first iPod with an (enabled) FM radio. We used the headphone wire as the antenna. It worked well enough. While there was a tiny speaker in those iPods, headphones were the o…

I listen to the radio all the time on my $28 Nokia 105. It has a headphone detector, and won't launch the Radio App if it doesn't detect headphones. If a $28 phone 1/5th the size of the iPhone (with a 20x battery life) can play radio stations flawlessly, I can't think of very many reasons why a $900 iPhone can't do the same thing.

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#79

Post by ctdonath »

Lord_Zero wrote: post #68
mrshoe wrote: post #51

While half-baked conspiracy theories are fun, a good journalist would've consulted a few more sources to get to the bottom of this story. FM radio requires a large antenna. It will not work without one. The 5th generation iPod nano (2009) was the first iPod with an (enabled) FM radio. We used the headphone wire as the antenna. It worked well enough. While there was a tiny speaker in those iPods, headphones were the o…

I dont see why we cant include a software feature to prompt the user for headphones and still allow sound to the loudspeaker.

Because having to attach headphones only to not use them as headphones makes for a stupid-looking user experience. Most users don't comprehend "antennas", much less using headphone wires as such. Prompting for headphones but using the speaker would result in most users coiling up the headphone cable (in bewilderment) which pretty much defeats the point of having an antenna.

Never mind the fact that not all users would use headphones not suitable for use as an FM antenna (too long or short, wrong impedance matching, etc).

Re: The hidden FM radio in your pocket and why you can't use it

#80

Post by [deleted] »

Lord_Zero wrote: post #68
mrshoe wrote: post #51

While half-baked conspiracy theories are fun, a good journalist would've consulted a few more sources to get to the bottom of this story. FM radio requires a large antenna. It will not work without one. The 5th generation iPod nano (2009) was the first iPod with an (enabled) FM radio. We used the headphone wire as the antenna. It worked well enough. While there was a tiny speaker in those iPods, headphones were the o…

I dont see why we cant include a software feature to prompt the user for headphones and still allow sound to the loudspeaker.

[deleted]
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