Apple Hiding iPhone Radiation Stats from Users
By: Hillel Fuld
As a blogger who often writes about mobile matters both here and on other sites, I spend a lot of time in the various app stores/worlds/markets etc. I recently started using an N900, which has apps on Nokia’s OVI Store as well. All the above examples besides Apple’s App Store are a complete and utter mess. If we are taking the Android Market as an example, apps are mixed with add ons, widgets, skins, themes, language packs, and a lot of other “junk” that I do not want to see when I am looking for an app.
As you know, the Android Market is barely monitored if at all, which means almost anything can make its way onto Android devices. This of course has its pluses and minuses. On the positive side, developers who have been working on their app for months and sometimes years, are not met with a rejection on the part of Google. On the other hand, the Market is less user friendly and the apps are often not as high quality as in the App Store.
Without getting into the whole debate about open vs. closed, I will say that I can understand Apple’s standpoint on this matter. They have created a superior device/ecosystem that has revolutionized the mobile market, and they do not want consumers ruining the iPhone experience. This materializes in every aspect of the iPhone starting from the app approval process, to the lack of customization features, to the inability to add or modify the hardware of the phone in any way (I am referring of course to the lack of a replaceable battery or memory card slot).
On the other hand, I am of the opinion that Apple has taken it a little too far, and I am pretty sure all you iPhone developers out there know what I am talking about. I did not complain when Apple rejected Google Voice, since after all, enabling Google Voice on the iPhone would fundamentally change the way people use their iPhones. I did not yell and scream when Apple deleted all sexually oriented apps from the App Store, since after all, there are many kids browsing the App Store (although I am not sure why they could not have an age verification mechanism put in place). However, today, I am protesting the rejection of a game-changing app that notifies users of the level of radiation emitted from their phone, in this case, the iPhone (It is important to note that radiation is not limited to the iPhone, in fact the 3Gs emits significantly less radiation that its primary competitors).
The name of the app is tawkon (as in Talk On) and the name the developers chose is not coincidental. The app is not intended to scare consumers, it is geared to raise awareness of the issue and address it responsibly. The only comparison that comes to mind is that of a car. We all know the dangers of driving, yet we all continue to drive. The reason we do this is because we have a speedometer, along with other tools, that help us drive carefully and responsibly. Apple rejecting tawkon is to me, like Honda rejecting speedometers from their cars.
The idea is, let us consumers make the choice and give us the opportunity to use our phones/cars responsibly. Right now, the issue is well known, radiation exists (at least according to most tests I have read), but it is ignored. Why is it ignored? Because people “need” to use their cellphones and they cannot do anything about the radiation. Well, tawkon lets you know at any given moment how much radiation you are exposed to, and based on that indication, you can enable Bluetooth, distance the phone from your face by using the speaker, or do another one of a collection of actions to minimize your exposure to radiation.
The thing is, Apple rejected tawkon, and that, in my opinion, is wrong on so many levels. It is wrong because Apple, like it or not, is an industry leader, who focuses a lot of energy and money to create “green” products. Apple clearly cares about the environment and does not ignore issues beyond how to make more money. I would expect a company like Apple to lead the way on the issue of phone radiation by not only accepting tawkon into the App Store, but by actively promoting it as well.
On a different note, the developers, who are serious “techies”, have spent a year and a half developing the highly advanced technology to ensure that the measurement of radiation is accurate. I can understand Apple rejecting useless and pointless apps, in fact I even thank them for that, but how does Apple justify the rejection of tawkon without admitting that they simply do not want users to know this crucial information?
In conclusion, I will say that Apple has reversed app rejections in the past, and this would be a classic example of when such a policy should be applied. I hope to review tawkon in the near future after I download it from the App Store. More importantly though, I hope Apple gives us consumers the respect to be exposed to this important information instead of being exposed to something a whole lot less pleasant. I think we can all agree that in today’s day and age, knowledge is a basic privilege that all people should have.
What do you think of Apple’s rejection of tawkon? Please let us know in the comments!
Hillel Fuld
Hillel is a tech blogger at TechNmarketing.com as well as an active Twitter personality @hilzfuld. He writes for many other sites including Mashable.com, Bitrebels.com, and works as the Content Manager of Dailyforex.com.11 Comments to “Apple Hiding iPhone Radiation Stats from Users”
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Curious, what kind of sensor does tawkon use to read radiation levels? The values it displays are just synthetic estimates.
But for fairness sake, I must say that of all the mobile gadgets I came across, iPhone3GS user manual seems to be the only one talking unusually lot about SAR and emission levels… and recognizes the existence of the issue…
The industry (and governments) in general pretend and maintain that it’s a “non-issue”… based on current methodologies used for assessing health risks from exposures it is “all safe”…
BUT there are serious reports that these very methodologies are NOT adequate – like:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19285839?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
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So as a pregnant woman who’s useing iphone all day long do you think it would hurt my baby ??
please answer me
Sanaa, I am not an expert on the issue of radiation, and there are hundreds of tests being conducted all the time. There is no definitive proof either way… I would say to just use Bluetooth and speaker as often as you can. Thanks for reading…
Would you please quit the sensationalistic nonsense?
Apple banned this app because it was using private APIs – developers have known since the beginning to stick with public APIs, so the developer has no one to blame but himself.
Apple is doing several things to cut back on the junk apps and apps which have the potential to create problems (such as using private APIs). This has nothing at all to do with Apple’s desire to publicize or hide radiation levels.
BTW, when radiation levels were measured, the iPhone was one of the lowest, if not the lowest, smartphones on the market.
“The thing is, Apple rejected tawkon, and that, in my opinion, is wrong on so many levels. It is wrong because Apple, like it or not, is an industry leader, who focuses a lot of energy and money to create “green” products.”
If the software is using an algorithmic approach not based in reality and may very well be displaying nonsense results, is Apple so wrong for rejecting it? For the life of me, I cannot fathom how the results could be particularly accurate without a dedicated sensor.
“I can understand Apple rejecting useless and pointless apps, in fact I even thank them for that”
Bingo! The results displayed are no more than an educated guess and may very well be misleading.
Sanaa,
I am not a doctor, but as engineer I heard that water is considered a reasonably good insulator for absorbing RF in microwave range… so I’d presume that whilst the baby is still “inside”, all surrounded by water, is somewhat reasonably protected…
I would be much more concerned about unnecessarily having iPhone working in close proximity to the newborn when she/he is “out”…
(and definitely don’t give it to the baby to play as a toy, unless it’s in Airplane mode and all radios are switched off
HTH
“There is no definitive proof either way… I would say to just use Bluetooth and speaker as often as you can. Thanks for reading…”
Bluetooth is also data carrier radiation in a waveform. It is a potentially just as dangerous radiation source.
The safest way is to use wired headphones while talking to the mic.
most people want to live in denial about this potential health hazard.
“private api’s” is an excuse that apple can exert on many developers at any given time, if they choose. Like pulling all the WiFi finders…..bs
Thanks for your thoughts on our app.
To answer some of your comments the source of information within our algorithm:
Although the application is slick and provides a simple red, yellow, green indication, under the hood is a sophisticated algorithm based on a patent-pending technology. Specifically, tawkon data is based on information extracted from the phone and reflecting its ongoing communication with cellular towers. The level of radiation a person is exposed to during calls is determined through an analysis of several dynamic factors.
The tawkon radiation indication for each phone model is tested in a RF chamber and calibrated to absolute radiation measurements.
More information about what tawkon does and the technology behind it at http://www.tawkon.com
We’re still optimistic that iPhone will take a leadership role in this matter, and in parallel we’re working on additional channels to get tawkon into the hands of mobile users worldwide including development on Blackberry & Android so stay tuned…
A special comment to Sanaa – health studies are not conclusive on exactly how and how much cellular radiation affects anyone, let alone pregnancy. You can see several independent articles here: http://www.tawkon.com/the-debate . However health studies do recommend keeping the phone at a distance from your body – not just your head. This is why even if you’re using bluetooth but the phone is on your lap, tawkon will sense (leveraging the iPhone’s embedded proximity sensor) that the phone is against your body and recommend that you distance the phone from your body – whether its your head, your lap or your belly.
[...] said that, I do not see any reason Apple should reject apps like Google Talk or tawkon, an app that helps iPhone users keep the phone’s radiation levels under control, or least [...]