Tawkon’s app that measures cell phone radiation is still being banned by Apple. Just last week the app for the BlackBerry was released, but Apple is still rejecting the cell phone app. As more and more manufacturers embrace this new technology, you have to wonder why Apple isn’t. What is Apple afraid of?

Tell Apple to Stop Banning Tawkon’s App

Tawkon’s new patent-pending technology takes 3 factors into consideration for their measurements of cell phone radiation. (Quoted from Tawkon’s blog “tawkon: How We Help Avoid Mobile Radiation” )

• Hardware: The way a mobile device is engineered, the model of the phone, factors such as the location of the device’s antenna, the materials out of which it was constructed, materials that physically shield the device from the cellular network (covers, sticker, etc) as well as the shape and size of the phone are all components that affect your levels of exposure to radiation.
• Environment: The location of the mobile phone is a crucial point. The terrain (whether the user is shielded from the cellular network e.g. in a basement, elevator or behind a concrete wall), mobility (due to frequent handover between cell towers) as well as weather conditions are all characteristics that are factored into this equation.
• Usage: While the above two factors are not in the hands of the user (besides of course selecting a device and changing location when possible), the way we use our phones very much depends on us. Many people are unaware that even the smallest adjustment in the way we operate our mobile devices can drastically reduce our exposure to mobile phone radiation. Holding the phone vertically and not horizontally, distancing the device from ones body & head via peripherals such as headsets (wired or Bluetooth) or by using the phone’s speaker, we can actively take part in lowering our exposure to radiation.

Isn’t that simple to understand? Perhaps not, but do we need to know how electricity works in order to enjoy its benefits? The important things is that you can measure the radiation and make informed decisions based on that information.

Tawkon is actively seeking Apple’s approval for the iPhone app. They have an online petition you can sign (Tell Apple). The more people who sign the petition, the faster iPhone users can talk more with lower radiation. More information to consumers is always a good thing.

I urge you to go sign the petition.

Google announced it is postponing the launch of the Android phones in China due to cyber spying coming from China. Google says it can no longer accept the censoring of search results on its site in China. Because of this, analysts say it could drastically hurt both Motorola and Samsung who have placed a big emphasis on the Droid phones.

Google postpones launch of Droid phones in China

What is the Droid phone without the Google applications? Without being able to access Google on the phone, many users may opt for Apple’s iPhone or the BlackBerry. If this postponement becomes a cancellation, this could have a devastating effect on not only Motorola and Samsung, but may impact Google’s stability as a business partner.

Would you be interested in a Droid phone without the Google maps, email and search? The Android is an open source system, so phone makers could still market in China, and perhaps utilize a different set of apps. This wouldn’t be good for Google, but Motorola and Samsung may still benefit from selling in China. Will China’s consumers embrace the iPhone or BlackBerry? So far the users in China have balked at the high price items.

Motorola may still come out okay in the China market. China Mobile and China Telecom have existing commitments to sell Motorola’s Droid phones. And so far, this is just a delay, not a cancellation by Google.

Most concerning to me is the cyber spying in China targeting Google. We all use Google. Many of us use Google’s applications to centralize our bookmarks, documents and email. This brings up a question of security for a lot of us. It makes me want to back up my files shared on Google and remove them from the Google service.

Are you concerned? Are we being naïve about using online document backup?

Use your cell phone without using any minutes on your plan. Ymax announced at the CES 2010 that they are developing a MagicJack for cell phones. Much like the original MagicJack, which uses your home broadband connection for phone calls, the new cell phone MagicJack will utilize the same technology. Because of this, your cell phone doesn’t connect to the cell phone provider service, thereby saving your precious cell phone minutes.

New MagicJack for Cell Phones

MagicJack’s new device (unnamed femtocell service) will cost about $40. It will work with the existing MagicJack service ($19.95 per year) as well and there is talk they are developing a software to compete with the popular Skype.

In addition, you can “hook up” to your friend’s MagicJack as well. As this becomes more popular, perhaps places like Starbucks will have the MagicJack as well as WiFi. How cool would that be? We would be able to use our cell phones for free while enjoying our coffee.

As we move into this new decade our communication needs are evolving. As I mentioned in my blog Cell Phone Service Provider Price War, the latest trend is to discontinue our home land lines in favor of just having the cell phones. With the advent of “free minutes” through this MagicJack device, I see this trend becoming even more popular.

I am all for this new device! Anything that gives us an edge over the expensive cell phone services is a major benefit!

New iPhone application gives you a new way to make a bank deposit. Texas-based USAA Bank has developed a new application that lets you use the photo of your check to make a deposit to your bank account.

Snap a photo and make a deposit

Deposit@Mobile is the latest way to avoid driving to your bank or ATM. Simply log into your account, take a photo of the front and back of a check you wish to deposit and upload it to the bank. Done! Money deposited. How cool is that?

The future of banking is changing!! Deposit your checks from anywhere in the world! Don’t want to take the time to go to the bank or ATM? Deposit from home, or the office, or while sunbathing on the weekend. There is instant verification and the check can then be destroyed. (See the link to the video clip to learn more.)

Texas-based USAA Bank caters to the military but only has one branch. Imagine how convenient it is for someone stationed far away from home to be able to make phone deposits.

So far, only the iPhone has this application. Makes you want to run out and get one, eh? Of course you would have to sign up for a bank account in Texas as well. But the future is knocking on our door. It won’t be long before more banks offer this service, and then other Smartphones will fall in line as well.

I think this is too cool for school. What about you?

Cough into your cell phone please and let us diagnose your cough. MSNBC and the Discovery Channel report on research here in the US and in Australia that would allow health care providers to use computer software to analyze coughs over the phone.

Can you hear my cough now?

Health care providers have been trained to detect the differences in coughs. They can diagnose whether you have a cold, the flu, pneumonia or something worse just by listening to you and asking a few pertinent questions. The skill of the listening health care provider varies, but using a computer software program offsets the human judgment component. (Is this a good thing?)

The research entails getting over 1,000 “sample” coughs in to the database. The computer will analyze them and categorize the similarities. Wow! Of course the software will be very costly at first, but then not having to “see” as many patients may bring the cost down. It may also bring down the rate of spreading germs and disease by keeping those with just colds or the simple flu at home where they belong instead of coughing and sneezing in the doctor’s waiting room.

Technology… gotta love it. Of course some might argue that it adds another layer of distance between the patient and the doctor, making it even more impersonal. I look at it as just another tool in the care giver’s toolbox.

I give this new research a thumbs up!

Apple just announced it bought Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company, for close to $300 Million. This announcement came on the heels of Google selling its new Nexus One smartphone in direct competition with the iPhone.

Apple vs. Google? Tempers flare!

In November, Google announced its agreement to buy AdMob for $750 Million, a mobile advertising network that competes with Quattro. Apple had also been interested in AdMob. You can imagine how the tempers must be rising between Apple and Google.

Sparking the fierce competition between Apple and Google is the growing mobile ad market. Advertisers are expected to spend $1.6 Billion on mobile ads by 2013, up from $416 Million in 2009. With 17% of adult cell phone users having Smartphones, the market trend is more than justified.

Google and Apple will be competing in the mobile ad market with giants, Microsoft and Yahoo. Neither Google nor Apple is as concerned with profiting from ads as much as making the respective Smartphones the most popular. Seems like a cheap way to advertise, right? LOL

Most of the 3 billion downloads from Apple’s App Store are free. They are hoping to sell ads to help the developers of those apps make money, and also help any developers of applications for the future Apple tablet.

Competition is the backbone of this country! I say go for it! Just think of all the jobs being created by all this competition! What do you think is the next arena of fighting between Google and Apple?

A German computer engineer announced he had deciphered and published the security code used to encrypt most of the world’s cell phone calls. Karsten Nohl said the G.S.M. (Global System for Mobile Communications) algorithm, which was developed in 1988 was still in use after 21 years, leaving 80% of mobile calls at risk.

Are cell phone calls really secure? Not likely!

The G.S.M. Association says that while Mr. Nohl’s actions are illegal, his statement is an exaggeration of the security threat to wireless calls. The code is a 64-bit binary code, half of what is used today to encrypt calls on third-generation networks. Do you think he is exaggerating the threat?

The algorithm code book is now available on the Internet for downloading. Does that make you feel just a bit insecure? Not me! I figure that the governments of the world have long had the technology to monitor our calls. Who is more frightening than that?

The G.S.M. Association developed a 128-bit successor code in 2007, but most networks have not invested the money to make the security upgrade. Seems like they are playing fast and loose with our privacy. What do you think? Is it something to lose sleep over? Should we be paranoid that our mundane conversations over cell phones can now be decoded by the criminal forces? Do we have a big enough ego to think that those criminals would be interested in us anyway?

An Irish firm has released new software, Bully Stop, allowing parents to monitor and block text messaging and both identified and unidentified callers on their children’s phones. The idea behind the software is to stop text bullying and abusive calls which both fall under the guise of cell bullying.

Bully Stop or Another Case of Big Brother Watching…

Is text bullying the elementary school version of sexting? (See Teen Sexting… a whole new way of flirting?) Is this new Irish variation of Big Brother Watching the answer to the teen sexting challenge parents face as well?

The whole subject of text bullying does beg the question, why do elementary school children have cell phones anyway? And what is it teaching our children about standing in their power? Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. It is and has been a fact of childhood life. No child is immune. Parental intervention has never been very effective in my opinion. Children have to learn to deal with bullies in the growing up process. Yes it can be devastating. Yes it can be traumatic. But in the end, the bullying only stops when the child being bullied stands up to the bully or figures out a way to ignore it.

Bully Stop is just another way to invade privacy. Let’s nip this trend in the bud. Don’t you think there is enough monitoring of our privacy? Do you really want more?

Google, Inc. will begin selling its new Nexus One cell phone in 2010. In the beginning, the phone will be sold without being tied to any ONE cell phone provider. The downside is that by being an “unlocked” cell phone, the cost of the device will no doubt be pretty pricey.

New Google Phone unlocks the Android

Google tries to take the market share from Apple’s iPhone (AT& T). Nexus One uses the new Android platform, giving users many application choices. The Google version of the Droid will try to directly challenge iPhone’s market share. Will it make the mark? Google has designed almost the entire software interface on the phone to make it feel more like the Google applications on the web that we have all come to know and love.

The new Nexus One uses a touch screen like the iPhone but has a few buttons on the bottom. Will it be as user friendly? The Android platform is gaining popularity and the only cell phone provider that doesn’t have a Droid phone is AT&T. (Wouldn’t want to alienate Apple…)

Will software developers embrace Nexus One? Most of the developers focus their efforts on the iPhone due to its widespread popularity. But if Google and HTC (the contracted manufacturer for Nexus One) can produce these new phones at a reasonable cost, who knows? The developers follow the popularity and money trail.

Not being an AT&T customer has limited me being able to have an iPhone. I am very interested in seeing this new phone next year. Besides, I like the idea of having a little Droid working for me. Do you think the Droid will take the place of the mighty Apple? How will Apple retaliate? I see the wicked witch offering Snow White a bite of a poisoned apple…

Can the American Gaijin understand Japanese Ads?

Am I missing something? The brief translation of this ad is that Taratino’s character, Uncle Tara-chan, gets a call from his wife demanding he come home at once. The basis for the ad (I think) is advertising the use of a cell phone speaker so the entire family can hear the call. While the ad is somewhat humorous, unless you understand the Japanese culture I think the humor is lost on the American Gaijin (barbarian).

Perhaps Softbank should change its ad company’s campaign name to SlapStick. Apparently Softbank regularly uses American stars for its advertising spots, most of which are this brand of humor. Brad Pitt and Cameron Dias are just a couple of the major stars raking in the big bucks for appearing in these ads. I think Softbank has gone over the top on the silliness of this ad. Or perhaps it’s just me and my lack of appreciation for the Japanese style of humor.

So, are you a Gaijin or humor savvy?