SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Samsung says it will be unlocking the FM chips in its future smartphones:
Samsung and NextRadio on Wednesday announced the handset-maker will begin shipping phones in the US and Canada with the FM radio chip unlocked. Currently, Samsung was shipping some devices with the FM radio access unlocked, while others (often dependent upon carrier whims) had a locked FM radio chip.
An unlocked FM radio chip in a smartphone not only provides free access to local radio stations, but also, in emergency situations, access to important information.
What is NextRadio?
Emmis Communications is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States and Slovakia.
[...] The NextRadio smartphone app was developed by Emmis, with support from the National Association of Broadcasters, to take advantage of mobile devices with activated internal FM receivers. NextRadio allows users of select FM-enabled smartphones to listen to live broadcast FM radio while receiving supplemental data such as album art, program information, and metadata over the internet. Launched in August 2013 through a radio industry agreement with Sprint Corporation, the app is available preloaded on select devices it is also available for download in the Google Play Store.
Do you need to use their app to access the FM chip? The press release says:
Market leaders like Samsung are taking the step of unlocking the FM Chip, which will allow Samsung users to connect directly with the NextRadio app, listen to their favorite local stations, and use less battery and less data than streaming radio apps.
Take "unlocked" with a grain of salt.
Previously: FCC Chairman Encourages Activation of FM Chips in Smartphones
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai Calls on Apple to Activate Imaginary FM Chips
Related: Smartphone with FM Radio Tells Your Position
Developers Working to Get FM Radio Function Enabled in BQ Ubuntu Phones
Norway to Become 1st Country to Switch Off FM Radio
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @04:12PM
Your not sending data over FM right now but you probably should be, so backdoor NSA, FBI, FSB etc... Welcome to no security WIFI
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday January 11 2018, @05:09PM (2 children)
Not anymore
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @06:23PM (1 child)
hi--it's me the "elephant". Apple has such minute control over SoC's and other hardware that this is probably true. All the android players just throw everything in there--FM, temperature, barometer, some others. No "apps" though.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday January 11 2018, @10:11PM
Actually apple used a common chip, (wifi, bluetooth. and FM in one) and simply failed to solder one pin to the FM had no functionality. (I believe it was the antenna pin).
Then when people bitched, Apple true to form fixed it so they couldn't bitch any more by finding a cheaper chip which didn't have the FM radio capability at all.
(Some doubt it was any cheaper, it was just Steve Jobs getting pissed.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday January 11 2018, @05:54PM (5 children)
> Take "unlocked" with a grain of salt.
Shouldn't take too long before someone reverse-engineers the enable, and provides a simple FM app with no useless bells and whistles (not that I plan to buy an S9).
I don't know if millennials do fall for it, or it's just wishful thinking from marketing guys who need to justify their jobs, but really, can we get back to having software that just does one simple thing (listen to FM, with a simple frequency and volume control), without needing to pretend people would like to connect it to twitfacegram ?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @07:25PM (4 children)
Interestingly enough, my unlocked Moto E4, which I bought last August before all the disasters and calls for "please unlock the fm chips you already have in these devices" actually came with an FM chip, that FM chip was unlocked, and Motorola included an app to receive FM radio as part of the phone's OS.
And the app is just what you describe. You can tune to a frequency, you can adjust the playback volume, and it does not need, nor care about, connecting to twitfacegram (it in fact does not need any data connection to receive FM)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @09:12PM (1 child)
FFS, my WINDOWS PHONE came with a functional fm chip and app for it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @08:40AM
Shouldn't surprise anyone. It probably also came with a "when to feed your horse" reminder app...
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday January 12 2018, @01:35AM (1 child)
Same here with an older Moto E. Simple app that plays the radio, remembers stations and allows recording. Does bitch if you don't plug in the headphones though.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @09:24PM
The N900 also has an FM tuner, it used the headphone cable as the antenna and won't function without it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @06:23PM (4 children)
"KBOOM radio, a blast from the past with sizzlin' tunes!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @07:01PM
Lithium battery joke?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 11 2018, @08:33PM (2 children)
So you're saying this is basically like streaming my favorite tunes, except they're not my favorite tunes, but some rando DJ's? Will this put a dent in my data plan?
(Score: 3, Touché) by frojack on Thursday January 11 2018, @10:25PM (1 child)
Doesn't use your data plan at all, you don't even need a sim in your phone.
It uses hardly any battery at all.
Its straight out of 1970s where you occasionally got exposed to new and different music between the old and repetitive stuff crap on your phone.
And, free of charge, you got news, weather, and commercials for the local car wash and Bob's Tire Service.
I know, right? Who would listen to that!??!
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 12 2018, @08:44AM
Also more likely to work during a hurricane when your Internet goes bust but several FM and AM stations are in range.
(Score: 2) by Uncle_Al on Thursday January 11 2018, @07:02PM (1 child)
Intentionally missing from the wonder multi-media list:
Advertising
(Score: 2) by etherscythe on Thursday January 11 2018, @09:09PM
I admit it's been some time since I listened to analog radio broadcast, but as I recall, advertising is already built in to the stream
"Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
(Score: 1) by nnet on Thursday January 11 2018, @09:58PM (3 children)
When I used to have to commute to work every day, I'd listen to Bob&Tom in the mornings, a local FM station syndicated it. Nowadays I only hear it if I have to leave the house in the morning. The car has FM radio. I don't have any other FM receiver. I'd listen to FM again if the chip was unlocked in my cellphone.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday January 11 2018, @10:19PM (2 children)
Would you?
Seriously, WHERE would you actually listen that you can't already?
These FM chips in radios require you to use earbuds (they use the earbud wires for the FM antenna). Bluetooth won't work.
Further, you can hardly find an FM station that doesn't ALSO stream everything (except perhaps live sports) on the internet. So some simple free app like "TuneIn Radio" can access the web stream without the earbuds.
The use case for FM radio on a cell phone comes down to emergency broadcasts.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday January 11 2018, @11:12PM
Maybe in the US, but Australia and the UK have extensive FM coverage, and quite alot of different stations.
While top 40/high rotation/clearchannel type crap is out there, community, classical, and *local* stations are also "available", not just in major cities.
Most cars still have fm radios, and, while "teenagers" would rather stream than use a radio, most houses still have fm radios.
mind you, there is also a huge following for "old fashioned" television (the non-cable, need an aerial stuff)
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 3, Informative) by dry on Friday January 12 2018, @01:47AM
You need a data connection to stream, uses battery that much faster and while it is true you need headphones for an antenna, you can still listen through the speaker, at least with the default app on my phone. Handy when the power goes out and the internet dies.
If you do like live sports and are a spectator, the radio works in real time if you like listening to a play by play while watching.