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Silviu Stahie reports via Softpedia
Many of the new SoC solutions [...] have FM Radio functionalities, but Google doesn't provide any kind of API for Android devices. It's basically just something that some companies could implement if they had the time or the drive to do it properly.
[...] Most [...] things are usually difficult when [they haven't] been done before. It's true that Radio FM functions have been available on older devices, but modern devices are not doing it, so there is little to no documentation on how to proceed.
A developer from the community is now working to get this function working on Ubuntu phones, and he's already enlisted the help of the Ubuntu developers. As it turns out, this has been talked about before, but for now, it's not a high priority.
Some of the Ubuntu phones, like the two BQ devices that are now available on the market, have Mediatek hardware and they are capable for[sic] Radio FM functions--at least in theory. What's more interesting, is that they should also be able to transmit, not only to receive.
"MediaTek (Aquaris E4.5 and E5) decided to implement custom kernel drivers with a custom character device (/dev/fm) and custom ioctl commands. There seem to be userspace libraries (libfm*) including a JNI wrapper in /system/lib of the Android container on our Ubuntu phones", developer sturmflut wrote on the official mailing list.
The ideal situation would be to allow users to initialize and tune the FM radio on the Aquaris E4.5 and E5 devices and to link this functionality to the media hub. It will take a while, but it's quite possible that FM Radio will be one of the numerous features that you can only find in Ubuntu phones.
Last Summer, Jack Wallen at TechRepublic reported:
[More after the break.]
- AT&T to activate FM Radio chips next year
What if you want to hear a local radio personality? Or want to hear your local NPR channel? What if you happen to be in a college town and want to enjoy the hippest tunes spinning off the platters of the alt college station?
[...] If your carrier is AT&T, you wait until next year when every Android device with the AT&T logo will be sold with their FM chips activated. That's right, good old FM radio is set for a mobile comeback.
...or as much of a comeback as the aging technology can.
[...] According to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), this will open up an entire world to a technology that has been so desperately in need of a boost. Consider this: FM broadcast radio will now enjoy song tagging. This could wind up being a massive boon for the music industry.
Consider this: You're listening to FM radio on your Android device and a song comes on that you fall in love with. You immediately tag the song and then, say, Amazon opens so that you can purchase the song, or Spotify opens so you can add it to a playlist.
[...] [Additionally, say] you're walking along listening to FM radio and an emergency is pushed to your device giving you detailed information on the threat as well as what to do. That's important stuff and should be a part of mobility.
This plan was actually put in place years ago and groups like FreeRadioOnMyPhone.org[1] had planned on filing an anti-trust suit to get a mandate from Congress. Now, it seems as if that's not going to be necessary.
[...] Once this happens. AT&T users will be able to make use of apps like NextRadio to deliver free FM broadcasts to their devices.
Of course, this isn't the first such deal. Sprint had already inked something similar to light up FM radio chips to prove the concept could work. But the deal with AT&T is the first such agreement with a large-scale carrier. [One also hopes that] the remaining carriers will come on board with this.
Do any Soylentils see immediate use cases in your areas? Any negatives to having this enabled that you perceive?
[1] If someone can identify the 1 script to whitelist in order to see the content (out of the 27 embedded in that page), that would be useful. I don't have the patience for pages constructed by idiots who don't understand "Degrades gracefully".
Previous: Small Broadcasters: FM Switch-Off is Premature
Norway to be First Nation to Switch Off National Analog FM Stations
(Score: 1) by moylan on Sunday December 13 2015, @07:12PM
commercial radio is grand here in ireland. it could always be better but it gives, news, talk, music, documentaries. i wouldn't buy a phone without fm radio. i do use podcasts as well but for traffic cockups it's dead handy to have an up to date source supplying info as it comes in.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 13 2015, @07:18PM
It's terrible that many smartphones have an FM chip but no FM radio capability enabled. It should be considered anti-competitive.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 13 2015, @09:09PM
Yup. The "killer app" for this is real-time events.
I remember a MAD Magazine feature around the time the first Walkman came out.
A hipster was mocking the guy listening to a portable radio via an earphone with the hipster hyping how, using his bleeding-edge technology, he could make personalized music selections (using cassettes, heh).
The guy with the radio pointed out that he was listening to a sporting event in progress.
.
As for the GP, yeah, for-profit commercial radio DOES suck around here.
Really narrow formats and really narrow playlists.
I also have a very low tolerance for radio personalities talking over the music.
Local radio broadcasting that *is* decent:
- Jazz -- NPR[1] affiliate (some Jazz-specific shows on 2 other NPR stations; one extended Jazz show on my Pacifica Radio affiliate; on rare occasions, I can receive the NPR Jazz station out of San Diego for a short time)
[1] Formerly "National Public Radio"; full of mentions of names of corporate sponsors
- Smooth Jazz -- another NPR affiliate
- Classical music -- another NPR affiliate
- Music from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s (my favorite stuff); one weekly 3-hour show and one weekly 2-hour show; "Swing Time" two weekly 3-hour shows -- all on NPR affiliates
- The only local station that still plays *real* Country Music--parts of a single weekly 2-hour show -- another NPR affiliate
- Prairie Home Companion; Wait, Wait. Don't Tell Me (quiz show based on recent "news" events); Ask Me Another (fun quiz show) -- another NPR affiliate
- My station for news analysis -- A Pacifica Radio affiliate (Listener-funded; unlike NPR, absolutely no corporate "underwriting")
The only "commercial" station that is tolerable for long stretches is KOCI-LP (Blues and Rock 'n' Roll).
It is a "community radio" station set up under a special federal licensing program.
The LP is for Low Power (43 watts).
Sometimes the powerful station in San Diego on the same frequency walks all over it.
Much of their music is automated and has no tune name / artist announcements and they don't have a real-time What's Playing Now page online. (They say they're working on that.)
All of these public (and quasi-public) radio outlets have enough dough to stream their content but I can imagine stations in smaller towns not being able to afford that.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday December 14 2015, @08:49PM
It is the sacred duty of federal politicians to defund Big Bird on PBS and also terminate NPR, this atrocious commie-inspired competition to the good American values of proper corporate radio meganetworks.
(Score: 2) by gawdonblue on Sunday December 13 2015, @09:22PM
I'll second that FM radio in Ireland is very, very good. I spent a couple of weeks driving around Ireland in July with my family and we were all impressed.
The music was generally fantastic, if a little bit parochial (most places play a lot of their own music, particularly New Zealand) and most of the presenters were quite good i.e. they stayed out of the way and let their music and guests do the talking.
What was best however, was that we learned more about what was really going on in the world in those two weeks than I have in a couple of years of listening to news at home (Australia). The main reason for this is that stories are covered in-depth from all sides and not just from the press releases from major political parties. For Irish issues this would indeed involve politicians from two or three parties but also affected citizens and foreigners. For world issues, contributing factors of the current situation and possible risks and rewards of the various options available were thoroughly discussed. It was amazing. My assumption is that it is this way because so much civil conflict has occurred that politicians are fundamentally untrusted and must argue their case even to their own supporters. If only this level of argument was required of politicians everywhere...