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Help FM radio built into chip
- Thread starter latuk
- Start date
No, it varies by make and model.
We've seen Samsung include it in their international version but not US versions a year or so ago. (I haven't checked this year.)
It's a common HTC feature but again, check the model.
GSM Arena often gets this right, it's a good starting point to check. Here's the page for my phone, you can search other models you're interested in to see if they have it -
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_(m8)-6074.php
We've seen Samsung include it in their international version but not US versions a year or so ago. (I haven't checked this year.)
It's a common HTC feature but again, check the model.
GSM Arena often gets this right, it's a good starting point to check. Here's the page for my phone, you can search other models you're interested in to see if they have it -
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_(m8)-6074.php
Thanks, I have contacted LG about the LG L38c Optimus Dynamic but have not heard back from them. It is a CDMA phone. Do you have a reference to CDMA phones similar to the GSM phone reference you cited? I am looking for a smart phone with WIFI capability and FM radio that does not require a phone contract, just want to use it at the gym.
The number of phones that do have built-in FM radio is rather small, and those that do have it are usually higher-end devices so it's unlikely that yours does.
If all you're looking to do is listen to music without a data plan and without having to store it on the phone, there are plenty of online streaming apps that you can use with a wifi-only device- Pandora, TuneIn, Live365 are just a few. I have a few old decommissioned phones sitting around that I've turned into media players this way.
So all you need to do is pick up a cheap no-contract phone with wifi and not activate the service, or alternately grab a used one from a place like Ebay or Swappa. If you never plan to activate it you can get a phone with a bad ESN which makes the price a lot lower, but it will serve you just fine as a wifi player.
If all you're looking to do is listen to music without a data plan and without having to store it on the phone, there are plenty of online streaming apps that you can use with a wifi-only device- Pandora, TuneIn, Live365 are just a few. I have a few old decommissioned phones sitting around that I've turned into media players this way.
So all you need to do is pick up a cheap no-contract phone with wifi and not activate the service, or alternately grab a used one from a place like Ebay or Swappa. If you never plan to activate it you can get a phone with a bad ESN which makes the price a lot lower, but it will serve you just fine as a wifi player.
Ok I see why you're looking for a radio then. Maybe you can find a cheap second-hand phone with built-in FM, otherwise your best bet might be to find an inexpensive FM radio that you can plug headphones into.
funkylogik
share the love peeps ;)
My old gs3 (international) had an fm radio but my wife's s5 doesn't seem to....
That site also covers CDMA but no matter, it's confusing and I did some checking.
That LG is a TracFone.
Here's a Huawei from the same generation, TracFone, better overall, AND includes an FM radio -
http://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/2013/11/huawei-glory-review-android-tracfone.html
Amazon has one in stock for a pretty good price -
http://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Glory-Android-Prepaid-Phone/dp/B00D35Z6OE
I think that might be what you want.
Avoid bad ESN phones like the plague.
In theory, yeah, you can use them via wifi.
In practice, many are the result of criminal enterprise and you won't know what you're getting into or who you're really doing business with.
A bad ESN phone, for free, is far too expensive to fool around with.
Thanks for the info. I have seen that phone on Amazon and will keep it in mind.That site also covers CDMA but no matter, it's confusing and I did some checking.
That LG is a TracFone.
Here's a Huawei from the same generation, TracFone, better overall, AND includes an FM radio -
http://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/2013/11/huawei-glory-review-android-tracfone.html
Amazon has one in stock for a pretty good price -
http://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Glory-Android-Prepaid-Phone/dp/B00D35Z6OE
I think that might be what you want.
Avoid bad ESN phones like the plague.
In theory, yeah, you can use them via wifi.
In practice, many are the result of criminal enterprise and you won't know what you're getting into or who you're really doing business with.
A bad ESN phone, for free, is far too expensive to fool around with.
I won't argue with this.
I was just making the point that any non-activated phone, including one with a bad ESN, would still work on wifi and would do what you want. But Early is right that this is far from your best option, especially if the phone comes from an anonymous third-party source. I would certainly not recommend anything like a Craigslist back-alley deal just to get a phone for a few bucks. Actually it's probably a good idea to avoid Craigslist altogether for phones.
One exception might be if someone you know has a phone that is otherwise legit but can't be activated for some reason, maybe they didn't pay their bill or it got lost in some kind of carrier-related administrative mumbo-jumbo and they want to give it away or sell it cheap. Otherwise the other options mentioned here are best.
Do you have other requirements that that doesn't meet?
If you want something high end for comparatively low bucks, Best Buy is selling off their stock of the 2013 HTC One (M7), new in the box, a nice blue chassis, for $200.
Quite the audio phone, really - a big jump up from the $34 Huawei, but a steal on a phone that used to retail for over 600 smackers.
Not sure if you could use it no contract, you'd have to check availability.
I think the $34 Huawei Glory is probably my best bet, I do not want to spend big $ for a phone to use at the gym. I am just looking for something that will give me access to the internet and FM radio. But I was curious about the LG Optimus Dynamic, have seen some specs that say it has FM radio.
No, I don't believe they're accurate at all.
Do you have those links, I can try to backtrack for you and see how they came up with that.
If you want a more current phone at the same original retail as the other two but likely better, TracFone has the Moto E, it has FM.
http://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/2014/10/tracfone-moto-e-xt830c.html
But just FM and Internet FM at the gym, where something can be dropped, broken, swiped and needs to be light and smaller, I imagine that Huawei for $34 is pretty good.
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I have asked LG customer service if this phone has FM radio but will probably not hear back from them
Here is a link stating the LG Optimus Dynamic has FM radio; http://www.unet.me/LG-Optimus-Dynamic-L38c_6723
Here is a link stating the LG Optimus Dynamic has FM radio; http://www.unet.me/LG-Optimus-Dynamic-L38c_6723
Yeah, support is going to be clueless, other trusted sites say no, and that site isn't exactly a high quality source.
Definitively, the user guide -
http://www.lg.com/us/support-mobile/lg-LGL38C#
It's not mentioned in it.
Chances are about zero that it has a radio with no use instructions.
funkylogik
share the love peeps ;)
Plus, usually a phone with an FM receiver will have a proprietary pre installed tuner app (you don't see many (if any) on Play Store)