Re:The Static Site Paradox
by dimal on Tuesday October 08, 2024 @07:12PM
(#41782753)
What I want is for every smartphone to have an FM radio built in. There are FM radio IC chips available, and apparently some Android phones have them. It seems like a reasonable thing to require smartphones to have them for emergencies. I had to run my car in the beginning, burning precious gas just to hear on the radio what the hell was actually happening.
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It might be selection bias, but my impression was that it is very hard to find a phone without this feature (going back to the Windows Phone and semi-smart feature phone era as well). The usual downside is that they do not spring to life unless a wired headphone is connected, because the cable is used as the antenna.
> unless a wired headphone is connected
aren't wired headphones increasingly unsupported in newer phones?
Yes, that is becoming a huge issue for me.
Ah, yeah. I was wondering how it could work without an antenna. I guess an FM antenna needs to be larger than the 5G antenna built into phones too.
Re:The Static Site Paradox
by freedomben on Wednesday October 09, 2024 @01:59PM
(#41790818)
Indeed, most phones have the hardware already, but the radio isn't surfaced in the software.
Plain old AM/FM radios are cheap and super efficient. Everyone should have one! I have a portable radio that I use regularly and its AA batteries often last a few years!
Re:The Static Site Paradox
by roywiggins on Wednesday October 09, 2024 @01:13AM
(#41784701)
I owned a series of Moto Gs that could, but with the removal of headphone jacks I am not sure how much reception you could expect. I did manage to pick up FM stations without anything plugged in but only pretty close to a transmitter.
Some phones even used to have TV tuners in them, though I don't think any of them were sold in the US.
Back in Venezuela there we're at least 2 models of the Telepatria, A phone with TV Capabilities, if I recall correctly, both models being basically modified ZTE designs
The original model did come with an external anthena, and the latest model is from 2015, no anthena needed