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.

Drug dealers are using their cell phones as scales. New downloadable apps turn your Smartphone into a small scale. iPhone has the iScale, while other Smartphones are also making ounce and gram scale apps available.

Drug Dealing 101! There’s an App for that!

There is a growing trend for apps that thwart the law. One of the apps is “cop corder” which warns the user not to talk to cops without a lawyer present and then turns into a pocket-sized recorder to document the conversation. Another app, called “trapster” warns of traffic speed trap locations.

Law enforcement agencies are poised and ready to confiscate cell phones used for weighing drugs. Current drug paraphernalia laws allow cops to seize pipes, razor blades, beakers, regular scales, etc, and now any cell phones they believe are related to a drug case. No modifications in the law are needed for them to take your Smartphone. So far, no cell phones have been confiscated. Could it be that drug dealers are weighing their product before they hit the street?

Soon our Smartphones will be the “Swiss Army Knives” of this generation. Before too long there will an app for anything you can imagine. One of my very favorites is a little app on the Android that turns your phone into a very bright flashlight.  I am eager to see what they come up with next! What’s your favorite app?

A new iPhone app allows medical staff to monitor a patient’s status. The Nashville Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Department of Anesthesiology created an iPhone application called VigiVu. This new app allows for the monitoring of up to 4 patients at one time.

New iPhone App to Monitor Medical Patients

VUMC’s VigiVu allows doctors and other medical practitioners to use their iPhones to monitor a patient’s vital signs and even see into operating rooms during surgeries. The app also allows communication between the practitioners.

Is VigiVu a glimpse of things to come in the medical field? Will doctors be monitoring us from the golf course or Tahiti? It’s a cool app and a great way to stay connected, but I am a bit worried we will be dealing with less and less personal attention for our medical needs. Do you think the next iPhone app will be robotic surgery? Will the doctors ever have to see patients again? What’s next, remote viewing and healing through a psychic? Is there an app for that?

Worried about your teen texting while driving? Texting while driving (cell phone distraction) is reported to cause a 23% increase in car accidents. So you nag and you nag, but do they listen? No worries. There are 3 new mobile apps that can prevent your teen from breaking the rules.

3 New Mobile Apps Can Block Texting and Calling While Driving

These new apps block text and calling when the user is shown to be moving, detected via their phone’s GPS function. All 3 apps let you keep “911” unblocked for emergencies. You can program your phone to send a text message back to the person texting you that might read, “I’m driving right now; and will get back with you as soon as I can.” So no excuses that you just HAD to answer that hot guy who texted you. You can also program a verbal alert that warns your teen, “Put down the phone or the car keys are mine!” Cute, eh?

The new apps work on the Android OS, BlackBerry and the Windows Mobile OS, but will soon be available for the iPhone as well. Each app has it pros and cons, so if you want to check them out, they are ZoomSafer ($2.99/month), iZup ($5/month), and CellSafety $10/month).

For a mere $3-$10 per month subscription rate, what parent in their right mind wouldn’t want this on their teen’s phone? It may also be a prudent thing for businesses to consider for their company owned cell phones. Passing laws doesn’t seem to prevent texting or calling while driving, so perhaps a built in program is the answer. What’s your take on it?

BlackBerry cell phone maker, Research in Motion, is set to buy QNX Software Systems, which was acquired by Harmon, which makes audio and entertainment products. The partnership would allow Research in Motion, QNX and Harman to build a better system between Smartphones and audio and entertainment systems in vehicles.

BlackBerry Music Quality to Improve?

iPod has been the dominant device to interface with car stereo systems, but with BlackBerry rising to the occasion, we may see the market share shift. Depending on the quality BlackBerry shows us, iPod may be in trouble (NOT). It is still inconvenient to have your phone hooked into your stereo when receiving an incoming call.

Will I rush out to get a new BlackBerry when the new technology arrives? No. I have a car stereo with a USB port and use a flash drive. It solves all my musical challenges in my car. My Moto Q cell phone allows me to listen to music and hook up to the car, but I prefer the flash drive. I have the iPod for “out-of-car” music. BlackBerry? Nope. What about you?

Microsoft’s Project Pink, (code name for their new phones) was noticeably absent from the Mobile World Congress in February. Last month Gizmodo leaked documents stating that the new Microsoft “Turtle” will be released late in April, with rumors hinting that the Microsoft “Pure” isn’t far behind.

Microsoft releasing new cell phones to Verizon this month

The new Turtle is square looking and is touted to be a social media Smartphone with the tag line “Make your network more social.” Not much information is being released on the Pure except that it is a horizontal slider and is headed for Verizon as well.

Neither of the new phones is running the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 7 OS. What is Microsoft thinking? Windows Mobile 6xx is not upgradeable to Windows Mobile 7, so why would anyone want the new phones? Or perhaps this is a statement about how buggy Windows Mobile 7 will be? Personally I will be taking a wait and see approach. I am ready for a new phone, but think I will wait until the dust settles.

According to TechCrunch, an Israeli developer called Tawkon created an iPhone app that measures the radiation emitted by your cell phone. Tawkon reported that Apple said, “No thank you!” and then banned the app. What are they afraid of? Would iPhone users start tossing their iPhones into the trash? Not likely.

Apple bans app that measures cell phone radiation

The app is said to measure the absorption rate of radiation by your whole body, not just your brain. It would apparently also measure the rest of your environment since it is measuring the effect on your whole body. Imagine being able to tell if you are in a bad zone when placing a call. I can see people racing away from malls, train stations or airports if the radiation is too great…

Is Apple justified in banning this app? Perhaps Google will pick it up since they like scientific things. Am I concerned? Not really. Living in the city exposes one to all kind of potential radiation, not just cell phone radiation. We would all have to move to the country to get away from the harmful rays. Do I see a mass exodus? Nope.

New comScore data reports that Facebook and Twitter use on mobile devices is growing exponentially while MySpace use is declining. Facebook now sees 25.1 million mobile users as of January 2010, more than double the users in January 2009. Twitter grew to 4.7 million, which is 4-times what it was last year. MySpace has lost 7% of its users in that same time period.

New report shows Facebook and Twitter use soaring!

In addition, the report shows that 30% of Smartphone users access social media sites using their devices, up 22.5% from last year. With the new trend of connecting through social media networking, more and more emphasis is being placed on Smartphone apps and accessibility to Facebook and Twitter. What about you? Do you Tweet? Do you go to Facebook from your Smartphone? If not, why not? Aren’t you concerned you may be falling behind and will be left in the dust? If you are among the millions of Facebook users connecting through your Smartphone, do you find it easy, necessary, valuable, and most of all, FUN?

I have heard reports that Facebook for Android is sadly lacking compared to the iPhone access. What’s up with that? Why can’t there be equality? I am a little tired of falling short compared to the iPhone. My locality doesn’t have good AT&T coverage so I am limited to not having an iPhone. Let’s hope the Android and other Smartphones get it together and upgrade their interfaces soon!

Windows Mobile 7 takes off in a new direction with a whole new OS. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Mobile 7 will be developing software for the Windows Phone 7 Series devices using either Silverlight or XNA, the toolset used to create Xbox games. The new OS is a complete break from the old Windows Mobile 6x, and Microsoft has no plans to make those phones using Mobile 6x upgradeable.

Microsoft announces Windows 7 Mobile is brand new!

The new Windows Mobile 7 phones will be shipping by the next holiday season. Microsoft will be offering these new super phones with strict requirements for screen resolution and size, specific buttons, and insisting that things like an FM radio and Wi-Fi are included. Manufacturers will only have choices in design about external features like external keyboards, etc. Actually the new phones sound kind of cool.

What does this mean for those of us with Mobile 6x? Is the OS going to be that much better? Should we rush out to upgrade our cell phones or wait for the next version of Mobile 7 to bypass the bugs?

The Industry analyzers Canalys, reports that the purchasing trend of mobile users is leaning more and more towards touch screen phones. The study does not differentiate between devices with just touch screens or those with keyboard interfaces so it is hard to say if the touch screens alone are the big seller.

Cell Phones with Touch Screens Sell More

The big cell phone manufacturers are all releasing new touch screen phones in 2010, perhaps a result of their own independent studies. Most notably are the iPhone and the Android phones, (HTC Bravo and the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 are new this year.) With the growing trend for these new touch screen Smartphones, watch for more to be released in the coming months.

Devices that offer both the touch screen and the keyboard are also highly in demand. Personally I like the combo effort. I find it easier to text on the keyboard. What’s your preference?