I apparently hit a hot button when posting a review of the SafeSleeve iPhone wallet back on August 26. Several readers responded, including I believe a European scientist who insisted that such products can’t actually protect people from radiation without compromising the quality of the phone’s performance.
One reader wrote that if the sleeve blocks radiation coming out of the phone, it must block the radiation (and thus the signal) going into the phone, which defies physics. Another penned that products like this manipulate consumers by using fear. Listen, I understand both sides of the argument. And I’m flattered that people are reading. But critics of this phone case concept are probably not going to want to read this particular article any further.
That’s because among those letters was a challenge from another phone case maker for me to try its product, the pong “Radiation Protection Case” ($50-$60, depending on color) that’s touted as redirecting cell phone radiation away from your head and body.
Hey, I’m just here to present new technology products and relate my impression and any personal experience with them. I can’t promise that these phone covers actually protect you from radiation, but the manufacturers behind them apparently can. So here goes.
The sleek and slim pong case -- it’s not a wallet like the SafeSleeve, but simply a nice-looking, lightweight case -- has drop test protection that exceeds military grade specifications. It’s designed to protect your phone from up to 6.5-foot falls. But according to the manufacturer, it also protects you from potentially harmful cellphone radiation. The manufacturer claims that up to half of a cellphone signal can be absorbed by the head and body. And your device is perpetually emitting a signal -- even in standby mode when it’s sitting in your pocket or purse.
So how does the manufacturer claim its case protects you? It includes a built-in, patented, micro-thin intelligent antenna that re-shapes or redirects the radio frequency (RF) signal away from you, to reduce your exposure to radiation while simultaneously optimizing the outbound signal. Pong's website refers to third party FCC-certified labs which have validated that the cases significantly decrease the amount of radiation that can be absorbed by your head and body, while using your phone or carrying it in your pocket. The product's package claims this case helps lower your radiation exposure by up to 67 percent.
I tried it on my iPhone 6. It fits nice and snugly -- snapping crisply into place. Almost too well -- I actually found it fairly difficult to remove the case from the phone. But that’s a good thing -- it shows that it would be difficult for it to accidentally fall off during regular use.
By the way, another reader made me aware of a new startup that’s releasing a product with “the highest radiation (SAR) reduction results ever recorded” that it accomplishes via a smart chip a user sticks to the back of a phone. The manufacturer is currently raising money through a crowdfunding platform.
Even if these products don’t work as touted, it’s nice to know that people are investing time into the field to determine if there truly are harmful effects from using cell phones and coming up with possible solutions. And until there’s a conclusion, these products present possible peace of mind. And at the very least, many of them still protect your phone!
