Taking a page out of HTC’s handbook, Sprint announced today that it is planning on offering FM tuners on a wide selection of its Android and Windows Phone smartphones over the next three years. This will be delivered through the NextRadio tuner application and a compatible FM radio chip, available later this year.
This is the first time a US carrier has committed so strongly to offering a majority of its smartphone customers the ability to receive local FM radio broadcasts on their smartphones. Currently, most smartphone users have to enjoy radio by streaming it online – and as many of us know, Sprint’s ailing 3G network oftentimes isn’t up to the challenge.
Of course, HTC EVO users have had this ability from day one back in 2010, so it’s easy for some people to take this feature for granted. Still, this should be welcome news to many other people, particularly Windows Phone fans. Sprint also says that the NextRadio tuner app will offer some additional features not available to current radio listeners, although it didn’t name what those features would be.
[Sprint]
Maybe they should just get their shit together with the service and stop all the smoke and mirrors.
I would like to see a fm broadcaster built into the device. Not always do you have a choice of Bluetooth or WiFi audio streaming. Just a thought.
I agree 100% as I would kill for a FM Transmitter in my device! I hate having to have Bluetooth devices to transfer to and then transmit to FM. You could turn ANY current FM stereo into your personal streaming device! I don’t understand why this hasn’t caught on? I know distance is an issue but what else?
Absolutely. Having my EVO be able to broadcast FM would instantly allow me to connect to a ton more devices. That’s one thing I used to love about my XM radio.
I would like to have LTE. I have had an LTE phone since June and no LTE. I get 300Kbps downloads on a GOOD day with 3G. Sprint is dying slow (pun intended) death.
LOL, my first thought was the same thing. I picture Sprint execs sitting around the boardroom:
Exec 1: “What are we gonna do about the small-middle markets that don’t have 4G?”
Exec 2: “I know! Let’s make sure all our phones have FM tuners! FM is sorta like 4G, right?”
I owned a Sprint 4G phone for 2 years and only had a 4G signal once, for about 20 minutes. I never had any beef with Sprint, but am enjoying seeing that 4G notification on my Verizon Note II most of the time.
lol yep, I was joking with a co-worker as I read this article and had a similar comment. Sprint’s new motto is “Hey, our 3G make suck but we have 4G coming some day. In the meantime, all of our phones now have FM radio”.
I can’t even remember the last time I listened to FM radio.
The FM radio in the Evo sucked so bad. You had to have you headphones act as an antenna and put it in just the right spot to get it to work. It was so HORRIBLE.
Well that is how FM tuners work in all phones. You need headphones to act as the antenna.
As for the reception, that large DOES depend on your location. As is the same with any radio.
Correction. I should say “all phones that have that capability.”
But honestly, I RARELY listen to radio anymore. Too many commercials.
This is great. I sure as hell can’t stream music any other way with Sprint.
Internet radio apps work as well or better than the cm receiver
Really? I know of no one who actually used it more than to test on the original EVO and then had the same complaint as hunter. Great… time, money and effort spent so I can listen to my local watered-down radio station blast me with ads and maybe a few songs from this decade.
Seriously, what genius came up with this?
I have an FM tuner on the EVO and don’t use it because the radio in the city sucks.Fix 4G so I can get any station anywhere that would be a plus this is nothing.
Sprint needs to put more money into upgrading to LTE, (i’ve had WiMax since day one no complaints and ready to upgrade soon to use LTE) for sprint to charge everyone the $10 “premium” charge hidden 4G charge is ridiculous , who really uses FM radio anymore,isn’t that what Iheart is for??
In my nerd rage, I’ll also add… They’re intending to include this over the next 3 years?? Granted FM will still be around but 3 years is a long time in tech and the wasteland that is terrestrial radio will only become more vast with time. They might as well include AM and a cassette adapter with every purchase.
Cool, an FM tuner! No LTE in my area, but FM, here we come!
Seriously, Sprint, please expand your LTE offerings. This is just a sideshow.
I use the Spirit FM Radio App on my Evo 4g all the time. Not sure what Nextradio will offer, but I can definitely recommend Spirit FM.
FM radio is especially great on road trips over using streaming radio. You get local stations, so you get local weather and traffic reports easier, and you save your bandwidth for GPS/maps.
When will they realize service gets and keeps customers, not these gimmick phones they can’t keep updated. Screw a fm radio! I just want a good internet speed and no dropped calls.
This news makes me want to leave Sprint. Basically their saying that their data service is going to continue to suck for the foreseeable future.
BTW, if they are going to put another radio in their phones, they should put a DirectConnect radio.