The market is flooded with mobile phones that boast of connecting their users to their music via MP3s and FMs. Lately FM radios have teamed up with a new feature called RDS in an attempt to provide ‘more’ to their users.
The RDS or Radio Data System is a communication protocol where information about the song keeps flashing on the screen while you listen to it. This is quite a common feature in the west, though only lately it’s managed to be a part on the mobile revolution in our country. RDS adds an extra zing to the joy of listening to your favorite track. As the songs play, tit-bits about the song keep flashing on the display which includes title, artist and name of the radio station along with time. This service is available only through GPRS. In the west, the RDS is used to get information about travel programs and traffic details, though in our country it hasn’t gained that importance. The coolest part is that if one is listening to a station which does not have a good frequency in the particular area, the RDS automatically latches on to a channel whose frequency is stronger and is airing a similar program.
The sad part is that not many people are aware of this feature even if it is a part of their mobiles. Also not every radio station supports RDS, at least not here in Mumbai. Since the feature is relatively new, it’s not found in every mobile. The few ones that support this are the Nokia N series, Sony Ericsson walkmen series and the iPhone. MobileNXT.com offers a closer look at these phones
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