Why mobile phones have no AM Radio?

i highly agree with you. AM feature will be so useful here in the Philippines (i dont know with other countries) esp for its wider range of news update and topic discussions (in diff languages/dialects as well, tagalog, english, bisaya, ilocano, chinese..name it.

and for the liking of the old folks, it has radio drama programs, classic songs and kundimans.

it is highly informative and entertaining as well. indeed, a productive way to ‘kill’ time.

so to you, nokia designers and engineers, if you are reading this, i dont think it would be costly for your billion-dollar empire to put that simple feature in your future mobile designs. i dont think its costly nor complicated to add that little piece of hardware in your gadgets.

with this feature, tech-savvy pip aside, those old folks and tech-resistant pips will be a great potential to add up to your more than 65% world mobile market dominion.

I cannot agree more. I think the feature would be really useful, not just on mobile phones but on mp3 players that have an FM tuner as well. Lord knows I sometimes want to listen to the news during my morning and evening commutes.

I just can imagine senior citizens taking the public transport, all their headsets plugged in to their ears. I myself wondered why phones do not have AM tuners. Kinda dyahe to bring a walkman just to listen to AM.

Ok. Let me get this straight. With all the hi-tech stuff that surround phone engineers, they can’t make a phone with BOTH FM and AM?

Speaking of the demand, my phones have photo and music editors that I don’t use. Are they saying that there’s a demand for these features?

It would be best if they just put both AM and FM in. I thinks it’s that pricey. Plus it will be nice to have an AM option you know!

I guess AM band should be added as a feature on new mobile units. there are just times that we need to update ourselves with the latest news but cant stay long enough inside the house, or got no time to scan the broadsheets, or browse the news sites.

My thoughts exactly Abe. Hindi kasi tayo ang gumagawa eh.

Blind masseuse. For charity? There are a lot of massage joints out there.

I actually prefer AM radio feature for my phone, than FM. :(

It’s a good thing that Sony Ericsson came up with AM/FM phones. Why? Aside from getting out of the FM chatter, I’d like to listen to news updates on the AM side once in a while esp. if there’s a national emergency, typhoons and the like. Besides, a phone with AM/FM capability completes the cycle of going mobile without bringing an additional device that can monitor AM frequencies.

Abe,

I recall reading that the Solid Group (who sells the dual-sim MyPhone) will be selling a myPhone-branded budget model with a built-in AM radio for only P2,000, catering specifically to the local market’s preference for AM programming:

From Inquirer.Net, 05 Oct 2008: “SGI is also set to launch 10 models of its myPhone mobile phone series. One of these new models will feature an AM radio for as low as P2,000 per unit. SGI will also be introducing four or five dual SIM phones, which will be sold from P3,500 to P8,500.”

(Tried posting the link here but your antispam filter prevented me from doing so – just Google myphone “am radio”

kung lalagyan ng a.m. it is in the khz range tas ang circuit na gagamitin sa tingin ko ai magiging bulky na ang mobile phone. since wavelength = speed of light / frequency so kailangan ng antenna that is for ground wave propagation.

hindi pala ako nag iisa waiting for this very simple feature in a mobile phone.

thumbs up great observation especially during calamities floods typhoons we need the mighty AM radio for fast news on the hour by the hour

tagal ko na din hinihintay AM tuner para sa Nokia, kasi pag brownout wala kaming means para malaman mga balita speacially kung may bagyo:) para din updated kami kung may pasok o wala..:)

Hi… i’m inviting you to visit one of my profiles in friendster (http://profiles.friendster.com/hitechtabai)which also provide support to my sci-tech radio show “Hi-Tech ‘Ta Bai!”. I have a recent blogpost about radio tuner in cellphones.In the blog, i gave an overview, why mobile phones took a long time to sport an AM radio tuner.I have also made a review on the new SonyEricsson R300 and R306 radio cellphone.
Many of us here in Cebu are now using the R300 or R306 from SE and update ourselves with latest news while mobiling without bringing an extra gadget(an AM monitor).

i think the AM radio feature isn’t that expensive to add.

i’ve also wondered before why there’s no AM radio for the mobile phones.

It would be nice if both AM and FM are available in the phone.Anyway don’t worry the day will come one day.Rest assured.

Guys & Gals,

The R300 & R306 are both equipped with an AM and FM tuner. It’s very handy and has loud speaker volume. Try it as we already tried it here in Cebu….

as a blogger, i need to be updated with current events to have something to write in my media blog. i bought a cheap radio transistor and always brings it with me when i’m on the go.

I would prefer an AM tuner on my mobile phone. In this country especially in ILOILO, there are many listeners and even followers of programs that are aired in this frequency. The far- flung residents would opt to have their mobile phone equipped with such tuner. This is a better tool of information in times of calamity and disaster.

i prefer to have both. Best of both worlds? why not. i had the same question too and i was glad i found the answer here. i hope mobile phone manufacturers will take heed to this call. INGATS!

well i dont listen to am or fm actually coz i prefer listening to pure music and the mp3s on my walkman phone are enough. but actually, i do believe a lot of pinoys would want to have both am and fm on their phone especially our parents and grandparents and those who do listen to news when they cant be infornt of the tv.

AM Radio for mobile phone… TWO THUMBS UP!

for News, Weather & Traffic Info anytime anywhere.. AM function would serve more during power outages and disaster situation..

NOKIA, please manufacture an AM tuner mobile phone!!!!!

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

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)

myphone has an am tuner!!!!!

myphone is a local cellphone brand in the phils.!

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.

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 want an r306. please help me find one. everyone says its out of stock/ phased out.

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!

me too. i badly need it for my work

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.

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…

Check my post about SE R300 AM Radio Cell phone.
http://hitechtabai.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/less-people-are-buying-the-am-radio-cellphone/

Along with FM Radio, Mobile Phone Companies should
install the function of AM Radio in Mobile Phones.
For keeping alive to AM Radio it is important. FM Radio is OK till some extent but there are many radio channel which broadcast on AM (On MW and as well as SW) Frequency.

So along with FM, AM should be also in Mobile Phone for keeping alive to Radio in our modern world

This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!

! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Thanks!

I would like my phone to have an AM tuner, since I need to listen to local news every morning and evening while walking. I am in philippines and a mobile with AM tuner would be a great help and more useful for me.

Am tuner is by far the most sought after transmission all over the Philippines, the news in vernacular will be much much more appreciated this way by those living in the barrios especially during in clement weather! Ericsson had them before R60I, the main reason why I bought that phone!

I got here because I was looking for a phone with an fm and am radio tuner – it’s pretty basic and would be great to have since it doesnt require an internet or data connection for you to listen to music or news updates, wish more phones would have it!

first of all, thanks for coming up with an article about this. I also had the same thought why not come up with an AM Radio feature. As an avid AM radio listener, it would be good for phones to have this feature as AM radios are vital in times of natural calamities and typhoons as they give updates and sometimes devote their airtime to give information on what’s happening. Not only that, it would be of great help and service for our commuters to tune in and get the latest news on the go.

Workaround is to use internet radio catering to several AM radio stations. But then, you need a faster internet access, say LTE to have a seamless listening experience.

I am doing research anywhere I can find on this question too. Anybody know the cost of adding the AM radio in the cellphone? Is it high cost, is that why they don’t want to put AM radio? Please keep us updated. Many thanks!