About a year ago, I asked the guys at Nokia Singapore why they don’t have AM radio tuners to pair with the millions of FM tuner capable phones they develop. I thought the answer was in the north of physics, something that had to do with frequency modulation and amplitude modulation. I guessed wrong.
The truth is, it’s largely got to do with market demand. Who would want to use AM radio on their phones? I told them, AM radio is still hot and raging in the Philippines especially with regular folks that listen to news.
The other day, one of those blind masseurs in the malls told me he’s been waiting this one great feature a mobile phone should have — an AM radio. I agreed and told him about my earlier discussion with the people from Nokia.
I myself very rarely use the FM tuner on my phone. I already have an iPod and a Zune to get my dose of music. More often than not, I tune in to one of the AM radio stations that rebroadcasts TV Patrol or GMA News in my car at around 6:30PM. I think this might also be true to other people as well.
Actually, there are some phones that both have AM radio (e.g. Sony Ericsson R300i, R306i) but if they could put FM tuners on half of the phones sold each year, why not just add AM tuner to it?
Why don’t we ask readers if they’d prefer AM radio or FM radio on their mobile phones?
[...] wherever we go. Yet most mobile phone manufacturers refrain from doing so because they believe that there isn’t any demand for such a [...]
I would love to have an AM tuner on my phone! I listen to talk radio here in the US all day long, and think FM is pointless. I like music to sound GOOD, not staticky with poor reception with commercials. With AM I could listen privately and not have to turn down the speakers when colleagues walk in. Would love to know of any phones with this feature! –Joey
I agree with u but it has nothing to do with people.It has to do with marketing.The fact is ,is that am radio requires a different part made of iron which in its weight requires companies to pay more to put out the product.I think it shold be required for all mp3 players phones etc etc.There are many different features on am radio that fm radio does not have.Coast to Coast AM is the biggest late night talk show program and yet they dont try to make money off that.Put out a product with both and u have a massive market devolping the same thing.With devices so useless as the Iphone I cant imagine why they wouldnt included it…
Of course AM should be added on mobilephones.
Besides some more new features can be added to bring variation like follows:
1.Infrared Coil-Cigerate Lighter
2.Ultra-violet Water Purifier(Extendable Glass Rod)
3.Laser Ruler (Distensometer)
4.Digital
Barometer,
Altimeter,
Thermometer,
Speedometer
5.Ultrasonic Tuner(Insect Shield)
6.Mini Projector
7.Walkey-Talkey (Common Band)
[...] about AM Radio as standard on most phones? I’ve already talked about this before here. (Sony Ericsson has one launched last [...]
starting this year we required our managers to have Sony Ericsson R300i. our reporters were also given orders to use them for monitoring and reporting. great help to AM radio industry…
myphone has an am tuner!!!!!
myphone is a local cellphone brand in the phils.!
I also wonder why is it that am radio is not always present to most of nokia and in an immense sense almost all cellphone brands. As we could see commuinication is in all forms-radio,writing, tv,internet,mouth or signs. Radio renders types of frequencies(am,fm,sw) to be heard. Engineering work is not always dictated by market demand but also by the basic neccesity of society. Let say, a great crisis may occur or difficult location becomes a problem, am radio penetrates. Both am and fm radio, if possble with sw too must be installed to all cellphones. Also,if one frequency is present as the case today(fm only) it gives way to narrow-mindedness because users especially the innocent ones may think radio is fm and am is backwardness. Radio in general is an on-going evolution of technology seperating us from stone-age and barbarism. If every frequency is present on such technology it will later improved faster based on the ups and downs of human experiences. To all companies,please act now!
Jules Marcel
Philippines
I wonder if the mobile phone industry designers bother to read these sort of fourms. If they did they would be tapping into a designers secret weapon. Yes it would be high on my list of must haves for a mobile phone, to have an AM tuner. As it has been said in a lot of previous comments AM is good for talk back programs and FM mostly just music content. Oh well we can only hope!!!!! Just keep Googleing AM&FM mobile phones.
Twitter: cjay1108
says:
I’m using Cherry Mobile D30 with AM-FM radio
I had the same question myself. Why don’t these cellphone manufacturers include the AM in their phone features. This will come in handy in cases of travelling. I always want to be informed about the news that’s why i often listen to AM stations.
I dont want to choose. I need and I want both
Twitter: whiskytangofox
says:
i want an r306. please help me find one. everyone says its out of stock/ phased out.
Yes, I prefer a mobile phone with both AM/FM tuner. I regularly listen to El Shaddai (DWXI) and Radio Veritas(DZRV) and these can only be heard at AM radio.
Dear Johnmar,
I recently bought an R300 phone but the box had only the charger and handset. No handsfree. So I used the standard original Sony Ericsson handsfree which I had with me. The FM in my phone works but when I try to turn to AM, it says AM switching failed. But I think the AM is working in your phone. Do you have any idea? Thanks.
Twitter: harleymahson
says:
i am a fan of your website and i added it as one of my favorites here in my laptop. i enjoy so much reading that at times, i can go on reading from 2pm until 9pm before my hubby gets home from school. it is very informative…hehe
so back to the topic at hand. yes, i have been wondering why it that so. i have the same longing like you do on listening to news on AM stations. I have maximized the memory of my phone with videos and most special music upto 500 songs. So, most of the time when i buy a phone, i rarely use the FM tuner it has.
Hoping that soon all phones have the AM stations as well!
Good job for this website yugatech and more power to you! God bless!
Twitter: Grashabelle
says:
yes Im a 30-something fellow who happens to be a part of a very large group of Filipinos pining for a handy digital tool that can aid to keep our ears to the ground. It sure is a better alternative to what most PUV’s and cabs (fx) alike blare on their speakers. Think “pangga and naka-love ka pa ba”.. and besides, there are a good number of radio programs there that have adopted a magazine-type of info delivery. definitely, it’s worth spending that aural time.
me too. i badly need it for my work
R300 cell phone has a problem regarding the am station. when tuning in AM, there’s a message that pops out telling “switching failed”! what is the solution for this problem
i would immediately purchase a cellphone with am and fm radio cos this features will be must needed like me who’s habit is to listen to a news and songs like in the mid 70′s and at present songs.i would rather wait for that time to come.
myphone’s B23 dual sim unit have both am and fm band. Don’t know why the Am band was not included on the latter models. the reason i bought the unit was because of the am radio.
Twitter: keywordspeak
says:
haaa…
ive looking for a phrase in google “Cellphone AM Radio” and I got this. looks like im not really alone. dapat talagang nasa mga phone yun, especially the low end ones…