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Not just the car but the mobile phone. Most phones in Europe* (not just smartphones) can get FM radio, because including it adds nothing to the cost. DAB, by c
by scholia 12y ago
Not just the car but the mobile phone.
Most phones in Europe* (not just smartphones) can get FM radio, because including it adds nothing to the cost. DAB, by contrast, costs too much and uses too much power to be included in phones.
So, Norway is not just giving up on car users, it is also giving up on mobile phone users, ie the next generation of potential radio listeners.
* Most US smartphones also include FM radios, because it's a standard element of radio (FM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) chips. However, FM is often disabled by the manufacturer (eg Apple) or by the carrier.
See http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/04/16/400178385/the-hidden-fm-radio-inside-your-pocket-and-why-you-cant-use-it http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/04/16/400178... and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7DoPkkDFjM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7DoPkkDFjM
- legulere 12y agoMost of the time the antenna is missing for the fm radio
- izacus 12y agoUm, no, the headphones act as an antenna.
- narrowrail 12y agoThe relevant pin still needs a trace from the chip to the headphone port, which is what I think was meant.
- scholia 12y agoWhich is almost always there, because phones need to sell in -- and to work in -- hundreds of different countries. The US is not typical of the rest of the world.
- Tomte 12y agoNope, most mobile phones here don't have FM reception. Not the iPhone, not most Android phones. Mostly the Lumia ones and few select others.
- userbinator 12y agoActually the vast majority of unbranded/generic Android smartphones - which make up a significant userbase in East Asia - have FM radios. Some of them have FM transmitters too. As the grandparent comment says, it's because the combo IC includes the functionality; here's an example of one that's quite common: http://www.mediatek.com/en/products/connectivity/wifi/mobile-handset/mt6620/ http://www.mediatek.com/en/products/connectivity/wifi/mobile... Many of these handsets are based on the MTK reference platform, and since that includes the FM radio app, the companies that produce them see no reason to remove it - after all, it allows them to have "FM radio" as one of the bullet points in the feature list.
- mason240 12y agoActually most android phones DO have FM radios, but they are disabled by the carrier-branded versions of the OS. I'm pretty sure the reason they do it is because they have deals with iHeart Radio.
- Tomte 12y agoHonestly, the customer doesn't care if the chip supports it. The out-of-the-box experience of´the vast majority of mobile phones (excluding Lumia and some dumb phones – I forgot those) is simply: no FM radio.
- thrownaway122 12y agoAndroid user here (with a carrier phone). It has FM radio. As does every one I've ever seen. It's so basic that it's a widget for the homescreen rather than an app. This may be why you missed it...
- scholia 12y agoActually, the vast majority of mobile phones do have built-in FM. That might not be true in the US, but it is certainly true of the the vast majority of mobile phones worldwide. More likely: most US mobile phones not made by Apple also have FM, but the carriers block it. Hence http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/04/16/400178385/the-hidden-fm-radio-inside-your-pocket-and-why-you-cant-use-it http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/04/16/400178...