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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?

#311

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

DigitalJack wrote: post #250
lostlogin wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, now this says something that squares with what I would expect it to mean. Strange how dropping that very key word leaves the same meaning. Still, English has many strange quirks.

It's super annoying but it has to do with misunderstandings and mispronunciations finding their way into common language. Another terrible one is "I could care less" vs "I couldn't care less." Both mean the same thing in the common language, but if I hear someone say the "could" version, they lose a lot of respect in my eyes. Languages evolve, and mostly it irritates me. I hate that the English Dictionaries used to b…

Languages evolve, and mostly it irritates me. I hate that the English Dictionaries used to be an authoritative source, and are now just a reflection of common usage

We should start a club :-)

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

#312

Post by barathvutukuri »

spacehome wrote: post #31
siddboots wrote: post #2

What's going on with Wired? This page has an autoplay video ad below the article text and an anti-AdBlock full-screen subscription nagger that pops up a few seconds after page load.

I'm running NoScript, and I saw no anti-AdBlock or video. It's becoming increasingly clear to me that NoScript is the only reasonable way to browse the web today. Random websites can't be entrusted to run javascript in a way that's not hostile to my interests.

NoScript is blocking the loading of web version of telegram.Is this only for me?

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

#313

Post by fit2rule »

spacehome wrote: post #245
fit2rule wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In fact, they do.

A citation needed would be appropriate here.

Consider this: Apple have been selling Internet access for decades now. They're leaders in the "hey, use this device for TCP/IP" pack.

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

#314

Post by fit2rule »

scholia wrote: post #218
fit2rule wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the deals Apple made with the cell co's to get their users to suck up the bandwidth, duh. Cellular Data rates being what they are, I fail to see how anyone cannot see the profit motive. If you're listening to Spotify instead of FM radio, you're fulfilling one of the promises Apple made to the cell co's: we will give you users who will use our phones to suck up Cellular Data ..

Can you ELI5 why this is a benefit, please? Cellular bandwidth is expensive and supplies are finite. You can add more bandwidth, but that generally means building more cell towers etc. By contrast, a single FM broadcast can support millions of users (within the transmitter's footprint), and you can add millions more listeners for no extra cost. The mobile phone companies are using Wi-Fi and other means to save cellul…

Yes, actually, FM is very much the opposite of the Internet, in that you can broadcast as hard as you want, and its up to the recipient to tune in and get the signal. At a mass scale, FM is pretty efficient if you need to get an emergency message out.

TCP/IP, however, requires the active cooperation and participation (and ultimately: control) of each node in between you and the site of interest. It takes mass team-work to make TCP/IP happen; it is automated cooperation at a bit level. Bits travel well, when its all plugged in.

When things are not plugged in, we could still be using FM to receive information/music/entertainment, etc. FM is more resilient to the fragilities of the Internet.

The problem is, some of the Bits are owned by Operators. The owning and moderation of some of those Bits, in fact, involves a lot of Operators.

Apple cater to them, the Operators. Not the owners of FM Broadcast equipment...

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

#315

Post by danjc »

flubert wrote: post #293
danjc wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Maybe not for everyone, but my local Christian station doesn't have ads. http://www.klove.com/music/radio-stations/radio-station-down...

Thanks, I'll try it

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

#316

Post by TeMPOraL »

DigitalJack wrote: post #250
lostlogin wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, now this says something that squares with what I would expect it to mean. Strange how dropping that very key word leaves the same meaning. Still, English has many strange quirks.

It's super annoying but it has to do with misunderstandings and mispronunciations finding their way into common language. Another terrible one is "I could care less" vs "I couldn't care less." Both mean the same thing in the common language, but if I hear someone say the "could" version, they lose a lot of respect in my eyes. Languages evolve, and mostly it irritates me. I hate that the English Dictionaries used to b…

Dictionaries were never an authoritative (prescriptive) source. They are by their very idea a collection of common usages.

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

#317

Post by abalone »

fit2rule wrote: post #313
spacehome wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A citation needed would be appropriate here.

Consider this: Apple have been selling Internet access for decades now. They're leaders in the "hey, use this device for TCP/IP" pack.

You haven't explained how this makes them more profit than selling direct FM radio access.

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

#318

Post by abalone »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #196
abalone wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, functioning in a disaster is one point the article made. But the premise that Apple is excluding it because of their own streaming services is patently false.

> ... patently false. You have references?

It's a point of logic. Radio stations are freely available on the iPhone via numerous third party apps, ergo blocking access to radio is not a motivation for disabling the FM chip feature. They would need to block those apps to accomplish that.

At best you could argue they are favoring Beats One by not letting you choose other Internet radio stations in their bundled music app, but that's not about disabling hardware.

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

#319

Post by tripzilch »

Maybe a really stupid question, but how does this work out:

> Manufacturers can activate the chip, but the decision to do so typically rests with carriers. If you’re Verizon customer, tough luck.

If Verizon is the carrier, they just provide your SIM-card, right? You don't need to buy your phone along with your mobile plan. I bought my Samsung Android S4 from an online shop, my carrier had nothing to do with that. I just insert my (their) SIM for calls and texts and data.

So who decided not to enable the radio, here?

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

#320

Post by ajosh »

Qantourisc wrote: post #50
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.

FM is a long wavelength (and even more AM) the antenna would take up some space in your cellphone. They might be able to fit it, but yea... costs...

Broadcast FM radio has a wavelength of around 3m which is much larger than cell frequencies. Broadcast AM actually is much much longer than FM due to its low frequencies. If you take 800khz near the center of the dial, the wave length is about 375 meters.

AM antennas are smaller because they are generally not very good. Most I gave see in cheap radios are wire wound around a ferrite core. That matches the impedance but the loss is high. It's usually ok for AM broadcast though because the power levels are HIGH and there is minimal multipath distortion.

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