Fm radio???

[MarkS1110]

Then try the Radio.com app. You should be covered with the two combined.

Sent from my HTC Rezound using DroidForums

 

[Coupe]

I have to disagree with that. Because apps like last.fm actually use what song you listened to in a productive way by suggesting things you would like. There's not a single ad. Yes you have to pay $3 a month, but that's like a coke and a candy bar at the gas station. And honestly, I don't think last.fm gives a crap where I was when I was listening to my music.

Also, I doubt "they" care how fast you were going, and what song you were listening to with any idea other than how this will help "them" to suggest more similar music so you will continue to use their app.

Just a wild guess, but I'm betting you are very anti facebook too?

Sent from my Banana Phone

So, would you like to post up the permissions that Last.FM requires? I am willing to bet (without even looking) they need a bunch for no real reason at all.
FWIW the UK is starting to look at privacy on smart phones as a legal issue, it is a real issue even if you are apathetic/ignorant to how your personal data is aggregated/used/sold/distributed.

Just a wild guess but I'm betting you are under 30 and live at home?

 

[MrSmith317]

So, would you like to post up the permissions that Last.FM requires? I am willing to bet (without even looking) they need a bunch for no real reason at all.
FWIW the UK is starting to look at privacy on smart phones as a legal issue, it is a real issue even if you are apathetic/ignorant to how your personal data is aggregated/used/sold/distributed.

Just a wild guess but I'm betting you are under 30 and live at home?

The way some of the permissions are written is misleading. For instance needing access to your phone calls can simply mean to know when there is an incoming call so it can pause playback. Access to GPS similarly because it needs to pause or lower volume to play GPS announcements. Some apps do take a coarse GPS location as well...lord knows why. However unless you're using an app that changes your wallpaper and it requires access to your contacts or other sensitive data...I wouldn't worry too much about it. We've leased our personal info to Google for use of gmail, youtube, and the like..why worry about other people trying to correlate where in the world you are?

 

[JRParsons]

I recently had a good natured debate about this with a neighbor who had just listened to a presentation entitled "is Google Evil". Personally I want Google, Amazon, Apple, etc, to pay attention to what I am listening to and what I am searching. That way when I get sidebar adds on my websites they are for things I may be interested in.
There are 7 billion people on earth, if I think that any one of these international multi billion dollar companies are paying attention to me, then I have to think maybe I'm being a little self centered.
Personally I have nothing to hide, if I did I maybe I'd feel differently.
If you think that this is the first time marketing is targeted based on interests, watch an hour of Lifetime and then an hour of Espn. Same commercials? Of course these phones are revenue generating, if they weren't, does anybody think that they would exist, what would be the upside of investing in research, development and production. I wouldn't do it for free.
Google, facebook, apple etc, can only use what you give them. If you don't want private information available to others, don't give it to anybody. You and I are the only ones actually entering the information. If tunein radio or Pandora wants to know what I'm listening to, so what. How will that ever damage me. If anything, I won't be stuck listening to songs I don't like.
Now back on topic, I have the FM radio in my Thunderbolt, I never use it, I do use Tunein pro, and was able to listen to both feeds of the NHL game 7 last year. My local team was in it and there was no blackout.
BTW, I am not under 30, but I do live at home, the home I bought. (Oh and you may want to play nice with those that are under 30, they will be in charge when we're crapping in our Depends.)

Sent from my Illudium PU - 36 Explosive Space Modulator.

 

[MrSmith317]

I'm nice to 3 people under 30...my kids hahaha. My only argument to what you posted is that my phone should not be a revenue generating device(beyond the high price tag) Apps can be used in this manner because some are free however the customer should be given all the information they need to make an informed decision on how they allow their data to be used.

 

[JRParsons]

I'm nice to 3 people under 30...my kids hahaha. My only argument to what you posted is that my phone should not be a revenue generating device(beyond the high price tag) Apps can be used in this manner because some are free however the customer should be given all the information they need to make an informed decision on how they allow their data to be used.

Understood. My kids are the only ones I'm not nice too, just ask them. Like I said to my neighbor after our debate, we all find different things to be important to us. Just because I feel privacy is not high on my list, does not diminish its importance on yours, and vice a versa. With all of the various predators that utilize the internet, etc. to prey on the uninformed (myself included sometimes), I completely understand the desire to safeguard certain information.

 

[r314bd]

I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned this but one big reason why FM radio would be useful (as opposed to just an internet radio app) is that a lot of gyms have communal TVs that broadcast their audio via short range FM transmitters and the only way to get the audio is by tuning to the designated FM station.

This is the major reason why I wish smartphone manufacturers would stop disabling it.

 

[Coupe]

It's really sad that so many people justify personal data theft, it's not any different than credit card fraud and you will be seeing more about it in the news. So many times people use that old excuse that it's normal for an app to access your phone calls etc.. until you find an app that does the same exact function that needs no special permissions to run. Then they just blame a lazy programmer because there is no way the app was written with a goal in mind to gather data.

This ignorant masses of phone users that accept this is one thing, but geeks should feel a bit stronger about it, just because google and Facebook get away with it does not make it right.