FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

Are there truly so few of us that enjoy listening to the good old fashioned radio? Why is the FM radio player app for the n900 so barebones, and why does no one seem to care about it? Who even wrote the app? Is anyone maintaining it (when I click 'about' in the app it doesn't show anything)?

I would just like some basic additional functionality:


- a straight-up, digital tuner instead of this pseudo-retro thing that I am always struggling with in trying to get it to go to a specific station

- a basic 'seek/scan' function that will hunt down valid stations (like, well, every single fm radio since about 1980)

- the ability to download a list of stations in your area and have the presets added automatically (i swear the symbian player I had on my e63 could do this)

That's about it. I spent about a 1/2 hour searching the forums but could only find an initial speculation thread from 09 and some bug reports; am I missing something? Is everyone just too cool for FM?

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

I think a lot of people are definitely using online streaming nowadays

i use the FM radio occasionally but a few times I needed to use it I had nothing with for antenna

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

I would use fm radio if the app was more usable. now finding stations is too hard

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

the fm radio application is among the most downloaded applications for the n900. it used to be #1 before fMMS came. so i don't think people are too cool for fm radio. maybe they just like the application as it is?

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

that's what I figured... but there are times when streaming is not practical: when roaming abroad, without a data plan (both of which being my current situation), hmm, maybe in areas without 3g coverage, etc. Plus isn't the move these days towards stricter caps on data usage -- do people really want to use all their megs for streaming radio?

Personally, I like the 'local touch' of radio; i like to wander into a new town and see what kind of stations it has, hear the local accents, etc; its just that much more work to do that through the internet. Plus it has a nice immediacy; I open the app, bam, sound is coming in, I didn't have to think or wait for buffering or choose from billions of possibilities.

Not to mention emergency/disaster situations...

At any rate, I'd like to know who to bug/bribe to get a few changes made... I'd love to claim I'd do them myself if given access to the source but I lack the time/skillz.

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

Hmm, interesting. Maybe I'm using it wrong? Which is why I was looking for a discussion thread/documentation on it... Is there a scan function built in?

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

Last time i tried to scan/save channels i just thought that who ever made this has patience of monk. I find myself cursing slowness of GUI every 5 seconds unitl i gave up. Also it has just really bare bone functions.

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

I think it's a nice app (thanks to the developer), also i think searching for stations could be enhanced, i'm saving the station once i found them so i'll not go through that non-easy sliding thing.

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

ha, my experience exactly, though I stuck it out a bit longer. The kinetic scrolling is nice in theory but not very practical.

Re: FM Radio Application -- where's the love?
 

I love listening to my local radio too, and use this app alot. I think the features are fine. But I just wish the audio playing wasn't interupted whenever ANYTHING else happens on the N900--like screen rotation, screen dimming, opening email, opening most programs, etc. It sometimes freezes completely just opening a browser. Don't want to complain too much because I really appreciate the work done on this.