The reason why FM receivers are present on smartphones is that they can be used to locate your position by noting a simple thing as signal strength of transmitters. More advanced methods makes use of SNR, frequency deviation and multipath interference characteristics. And the same method can be used for WiFi which of course makes collection of such data very useful for localization purposes where GPS etc isn't useful. Arrival time of a radio signal that is reported to the operator from many devices may also be used for the same purpose.
(Score: 1) by cliffjumper222 on Wednesday May 21 2014, @09:20PM
FM radio receiver (and transmitters) are sometimes in the BT/WiFi chip but aren't there to detect position. They may be able to be used like that, but as anyone who has used such features, you have to stick your headphones in to be used as an antenna. Most of the time though, the FM part is never used by smartphones.
He who dares wins, Rodney