Touch Pro 2 FM Radio Questions/Answers

[constitutionalist]

Originally Posted by supdawg

They are not going to do with without their carrier's blessing.

Given the rash of manufacturer ads like the one from HTC, I wonder if we may see the beginning of a trend where manufacturers secure more autonomy through more direct interaction with consumers (i.e. going around carriers). If I were HTC I'd get sick of seeing telcos turn my stable and aesthetically-pleasing product into a brick, which in turn scares people away from my perfectly good product.

[kidFromBigD]

Originally Posted by constitutionalist

Given the rash of manufacturer ads like the one from HTC, I wonder if we may see the beginning of a trend where manufacturers secure more autonomy through more direct interaction with consumers (i.e. going around carriers). If I were HTC I'd get sick of seeing telcos turn my stable and aesthetically-pleasing product into a brick, which in turn scares people away from my perfectly good product.

If I were HTC, it would make me sick to poison relationships with the 4 major US carriers(not to mention the Canadian carriers) by circumventing them and opening up features, for whatever reason, they have chosen to disable.

We here at ppcgeeks.com are the rebels, but we account for perhaps 1% of the user base of HTC phones in North America(Canada/USA). We are thriving and pushing the limits daily, and honestly that is good. We usually get what we want, or re-flash in search of it. But the vast majority of HTC smartphones are in the hands of a solid customer base that the major carriers rightly treat like gold. These users will never unlock and flash their devices, and may have no time or interest in what's going on here. That's reality.

So, let's understand ourselves in this perspective and go about our work digging into and unlocking the features that lurk deep inside the devices, sharing discoveries, but not thinking our views on the matter are correct for everyone else.

Ok, off my soapbox. Flame away or add your $.02 guys...

[constitutionalist]

Originally Posted by kidFromBigD

If I were HTC, it would make me sick to poison relationships with the 4 major US carriers(not to mention the Canadian carriers) by circumventing them and opening up features, for whatever reason, they have chosen to disable.

We here at ppcgeeks.com are the rebels, but we account for perhaps 1% of the user base of HTC phones in North America(Canada/USA). We are thriving and pushing the limits daily, and honestly that is good. We usually get what we want, or re-flash in search of it. But the vast majority of HTC smartphones are in the hands of a solid customer base that the major carriers rightly treat like gold. These users will never unlock and flash their devices, and may have no time or interest in what's going on here. That's reality.

So, let's understand ourselves in this perspective and go about our work digging into and unlocking the features that lurk deep inside the devices, sharing discoveries, but not thinking our views on the matter are correct for everyone else.

Ok, off my soapbox. Flame away or add your $.02 guys...

Very well said, and you are right about many of the aspects of our phones that geeks like us enjoy, as opposed to what the typical end-user considers important. That said, end-users and the manufacturer still deserve a phone that can make it through the day without a reset, particularly due to neutered memory or glitches in software that did not exist prior to the carrier getting a hold of it, a dead battery or some other issue. Now, you are right about most users, since most users do not buy the high-end WinMo phones that we own; they instead tend to purchase simpler, less-expensive phones. However, since we are talking about companies like HTC, which seem to base their reputations on PDA phones aimed at a niche market, I'm wondering if it might be more in their interest to further assert themselves.

Of course, only time will tell and my hope is no matter what happens, we will a find result which includes a more solid phone with improved support. But the trend to me right now, though certainly nascent if extant at all, is one of greater direct customer interaction on the part of the manufacturer.

[tlordon]

UHM they are the MFR they can make the phone they want if the carrier dont cary it they go down.. I think its all stupid..

Originally Posted by kidFromBigD

If I were HTC, it would make me sick to poison relationships with the 4 major US carriers(not to mention the Canadian carriers) by circumventing them and opening up features, for whatever reason, they have chosen to disable.

We here at ppcgeeks.com are the rebels, but we account for perhaps 1% of the user base of HTC phones in North America(Canada/USA). We are thriving and pushing the limits daily, and honestly that is good. We usually get what we want, or re-flash in search of it. But the vast majority of HTC smartphones are in the hands of a solid customer base that the major carriers rightly treat like gold. These users will never unlock and flash their devices, and may have no time or interest in what's going on here. That's reality.

So, let's understand ourselves in this perspective and go about our work digging into and unlocking the features that lurk deep inside the devices, sharing discoveries, but not thinking our views on the matter are correct for everyone else.

Ok, off my soapbox. Flame away or add your $.02 guys...

[toviaheli]

That was such a North American viewpoint. the rest of the world buys a phone and then shops the best provider for their needs. I love that HTC is advertising on their own and hope it is a signal that the North American market is moving in that direction.

My nickle .98.

[constitutionalist]

Originally Posted by toviaheli

That was such a North American viewpoint. the rest of the world buys a phone and then shops the best provider for their needs. I love that HTC is advertising on their own and hope it is a signal that the North American market is moving in that direction.

My nickle .98.

I hope so, too. It is sad, but it what we're stuck with in NoAm for the time being, at least until trends move us elsewhere, which may be the case. It's funny in the land of so much consumer choice that this should be so tightly controlled while most just put up with it.

[tt C6]

So, what's the bottom line?


What do I have to do to get FM radio reception on my Sprint Touch Pro 2?

[constitutionalist]

Originally Posted by tt C6

So, what's the bottom line?


What do I have to do to get FM radio reception on my Sprint Touch Pro 2?

Unless or until someone finds a hack, switch carriers.

Interestingly enough, I also noticed that while T-Mobile in Europe allows the FM radio to work, T-Mobile USA doesn't. It's such a weird thing that most U.S. carriers would disable it, there has to be some sort of thinking behind it, wrongheaded though it may be. How alien.

[kidFromBigD]

Originally Posted by constitutionalist

Unless or until someone finds a hack, switch carriers.

Interestingly enough, I also noticed that while T-Mobile in Europe allows the FM radio to work, T-Mobile USA doesn't. It's such a weird thing that most U.S. carriers would disable it, there has to be some sort of thinking behind it, wrongheaded though it may be. How alien.

Well, just my $.02 but I think the carriers would prefer you subscribe to their music services, as pitiful as they are. You know, Sprint wants to sell you music and Verizon has V-Cast, so why allow our customer base any options?

Wrongheaded, yes, but the bean counters call it "Protecting Revenue Streams".

[constitutionalist]

Originally Posted by kidFromBigD

Well, just my $.02 but I think the carriers would prefer you subscribe to their music services, as pitiful as they are. You know, Sprint wants to sell you music and Verizon has V-Cast, so why allow our customer base any options?

Wrongheaded, yes, but the bean counters call it "Protecting Revenue Streams".

I know, right? What's weird about Verizon, though, is that (at least as I understand it) the TP2 doesn't qualify for VCast. Maybe the decision was made to block the FM receiver before they decided to not do VCast, though, and they just thought, "oh, what the heck".