In praise of FM

The one glaring omission in Samsung's latest smartphones is the decision to take out the FM radio. The old HTC One X pictured he has a very nice digital radio built in as did my old HTC Inspire. While I understand that streaming media like Pandora is all the rage these days, FM still has it's place in my opinion.

First off, FM does not use you data plan. If you are lucky (or wealthy) enough to have an unlimited data plan then stream away with your Pandora app to your heart's content. But, if you are like most folks, streaming media is for use when on WiFi only. Secondly, FM will work even when you can't get a data signal. This is especially useful when in poorly served rural areas and when traveling abroad where data is expensive for Americans.

Why Samsung omitted the FM hardware is really beyond me. They choose to include a boat load of other features, many of which are frankly of dubious value in my opinion. As I understand it, HTC still gives you FM on the new HTC One M8. Come upgrade time, that's where I'll be going.