FM radios mandatory in mobile phones

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2010/08/radio-riaa-mandatory-fm-radio-in-cell-phones-is-the-future/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/garyshapiro/2012/06/06/dinosaur-broadcasters-turn-to-congress-to-mandate-their-relevance-2/

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/mandatory-fm-radios/

http://www.marcus-spectrum.com/Blog/files/category-fm-in-cell-phones.html

I have an Adroid phone now without a FM radio, so I still carry my old T-Mobile Tap because it does have one. Also, I can use the music player; the alarms sound even when it's off; I can use it for storage. And all phones now without service can dial 911.

This is mandatory for me when I choose a mobile phone: it must have FM radio, expandable external memory, and removable battery. I am not choosing the Samsung Galaxy S 3, and awesome phone, because it does not have a radio. Streamers are fine, but not all radio stations stream. I choose the HTC Amaze because it does have a radio. I dont want to see a government mandate, though I believe that all mobile phones should have radios.

If you have a mobile plan with limited data plan a FM tuner is useful; it does not use your data plan, or minutes, just battery.

For me, a phone is a phone: a device to make phone calls with and on rare occasions send a text message.

~ OB

For me, a phone is a phone: a device to make phone calls with and on rare occasions send a text message.

~ OB

I play music more than I make phone calls, so I carry a solar battery charger, and an extra charged battery.\

My son says, dad, it's a phone, a phone!

I like choices. I have Sky and TuneIn (software radio) streamers; I have AudioGalaxy which streams music from my home desktop computer (why upload your music to Google or some other site, then stream to your phone?) ; I play the music on my mem card. I love the old FM radio too; some local stations dont stream.

I also only use it as a phone. I play my music,TV and Email on other devices.
I am sure that oyhers are bigger users of the phones for other things.

hate to break it to you, but its an android phone, you can download an FM radio app for it, and use your headphones as an antanae, and if you cant get it to work, most radio stations have internet apps you can download to your android where you can listen to your favorite radio station anywhere you have enough signal for internet.

I have streamers but also like hardware radio, a FM chip. If the Samsung Galaxy S 3 had a FM radio, it would be double awesome. I sometimes want to listen to radio not streamers. Over the air radio does not have the gaps that streamers, even the best, suffer sometimes.

The HTC Amaze is Android and it has a radio. HTC has about half a dozen handsets with FM radio.

Most motorola phones do actually have FM radio, all you need is the earphones for the antannae, and to download the app for it. Not sure about other brands but I bet a lot do.

For me, a phone is a phone: a device to make phone calls with and on rare occasions send a text message.

~ OB

Agreed except no need for the texting either.
Everytime I unplug the wire from my phone to go wireless I lose my dialtone, Help!
Anyone remember the old wireless phones, not cellular? You had to have money for those.

Roger

at losing your dial-tone. Happens to me too :grin:

By wireless, not cellular, phone are you referring to the cordless phone? The sort that sat in a phone cradle on a charger, contact points at the bottom of the handset? If so, I've got one of those too. Dad got it long ago so he could field phone calls when he was not at the desk or later when he was outside or on another level of the house. Range didn't reach to the property boundaries though.

One of my big complaints about cell phones: the buttons are minuscule. I have no idea how folks can manipulate those buttons so fast.

Orange Blossom likes her speaker phone. Nice big buttons - nearly an inch in diameter, nice long cord (which I bought for it) which allows me to take the phone into the next room, and a good volume. I can hear it ring even when I'm outside, and the phone is big enough that I can find it very quickly, UNLIKE my cell-phone. If I don't have my glasses on, I can't even see the cell phone from a foot away much less be able to answer it.

~ OB

by Wireless I mean the old style mobile phones that you could have in your car prior to cellular being deployed.

If interested here is a couple of links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Telephone_Service

The Mobile Telephone Service (MTS) is a pre-cellular VHF radio system that links to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

This service was used at least into the 1980s in large portions of North America. [1]

MTS was replaced by Improved Mobile Telephone Service (IMTS).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_radio_telephone

Mobile radio telephone systems preceded modern cellular mobile telephony technology. Since they were the predecessors of the first generation of cellular telephones, these systems are sometimes retroactively referred to as pre cellular

I have the same type of wireless as you do at work. I don't have a complaint against cell phones. I don't have one.

Cheers
Roger

I'm an old man, been giving away stuff, selling some, so I won't be burdened with lots of stuff. On my present Android I can do almost everything that I can do on my desktop, except as stated before have big buttons. I get text, of course, twitter, facebook, all 13 of my email addresses, I have a full office suite, a notepad, camscanner to scan documents and print as pdf, and I can watch news, tv, and movies; I can take pictures and video. I stream my music from my desktop computer at home, it basically acts as a server now with the help of dropbox and the synchronization of my security suite. I can control my desktop from my mobile phone.

It is more than just a phone to me. I dont want to carry an additional device to listen to music; I want it all in my mobile phone. "mobile phone" is more descriptive than "cell phone" for general day to day purposes. It is a phone that's mobile. Tech geeks may like "cell phone."

Why should I carry an additional device dedicated to music when I can have it all on just one general device? One fewer to lose. Only one to keep secure, and with an additional charged batter and a solar powered charger I dont run out of juice. Yes, there are some devices with FM potential but I want it already built in. I dont want to stream my own music from Google or any other service, I stream my own music from my own computer, thereby do not give over potential control to Google or other service of my music. I have some of my favorite music stored on the phone, and I have some streamers such as TuneIn Radio and Sky.

I am an old man and you want me to carry multiple devices. I could carry an ipod, a portable radio, and phone; three things to charge, to keep safe. Why not one. I choose the HTC Amaze because it has a radio over the Samsung Galaxy S 3, though it is awesome.

I am mobile in my remaining years, a cyclist, so my mobile phone must be as close as possible to a desktop computer in my pocket.

To each his own. No-one is saying you have to carry a lot of devices around. You like having the option of an embedded FM radio in your device. That is fine. Many others, like me, wouldn't use such. Requiring such a feature to be embedded would drive up the costs of phones making things more difficult for those on a slim budget that only want a phone to use in the case of an emergency. Too bad payphones are practically non-existent these days.

For me, radio is something to enjoy when I'm at home, or when I'm dozing in the car. Outside, I prefer listening to mother nature.

To me, I think it makes the most sense to have a range of devices with various capabilities available. That way, everyone can get what he/she wants without having to shell out a bunch of money for stuff they don't want and wouldn't use.

Orange Blossom

I love music, specially FM Radio tuning is my favourite time pass. Its helpful during busy in other activities. Listening music refresh my mind.