Technology news and Jobs 
Fuzzy Logic Sony Ericsson releases world’s first AM/FM radio in mobile phone
Fuzzy Logic Sony Ericsson releases world’s first AM/FM radio in mobile phone | Sony Ericsson releases world’s first AM/FM radio in mobile phone |
|
| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Friday, 17 October 2008 | |
|
Page 1 of 3   
Featured Whitepaper
5 Best Practices for Smartphone Support
I’m personally a big fan of ABC NewsRadio, and while some of its new stations around regional Australia, and its stations in Canberra do indeed broadcast on FM frequencies, the other capital cities all deliver the network on AM frequencies. A lot of Australians also like to listen to talkback radio, and for the most part, in capital cities, these are on AM radio too. Modern smartphones let you get around the FM-only radio issue by having a browser and media player than can play RealPlayer streams from radio station websites, while Windows Mobile phones can play the Windows Media streams instead. In a city like Melbourne, listening to AM radio through your smartphone when driving (with the audio piped through an FM transmitter to an FM station on your car radio) is usually a much more pleasant experience than AM radio itself, which is constantly interrupted by interference from the overhead electrical cables that deliver power to the public transport tram network. Naturally, most cities don’t have trams, so if you’re not in Melbourne, this isn’t a problem, but anyone who has listened to AM radio and gone under an overpass or through a tunnel without radio repeaters has experienced interference or a loss of signal. But the problem with the AM streaming solution is two-fold. To start with, you need a data plan on your phone and a RealPlayer/Windows Media player (something an iPhone lacks, for example). Then, if you want to listen in your car, you’ll need to transmit the audio via FM transmitter to your car radio, unless your phone has really loud speakers. For most people, this is far too much hassle. Now, Sony Ericsson’s (SE’s) R306 doesn’t solve this problem in the car – it’s an AM radio after all, subject to the same interference your car radio would be subject to. But it is a solution to carrying only one device for standard voice calls and SMS and an AM/FM radio, and if you don’t care about the latest 3G phones or know a family member that carries around an old 2G phone, needs an upgraded phone, and likes listening to AM/FM radio, this would make for a very nice present, or simply purchase suggestion. In a world of iPhones, 3.5G connections, 5 to 8 megapixel cameras, 2.8-inch to 3.5-inch screens, mp3 and video players and more, the market for the 2G-only, no mp3 player, 1.3 megapixel camera equipped SE R306 clearly isn’t going to grow to iPhone-like proportions, but that’s not its mission in life. So, is anyone going to buy an R306, what does listening to the radio on this phone sound like, it’s “killer feature” after all, and what’s at least one big “gotcha” for this radio phone? Please read on to page 2. |
| < Next story in category | Previous story in the category > |
|---|
