14 DAY TRIAL // Pong Research has introduced the Pong iPhone Case, a protective sleeve that reduces users’ exposure to radiation from the phone’s antenna, according to the company. Pong Research is a new, research-driven company that develops technologies to improve environmental health.
The company notes that concerns about the link between cell-phone radiation and cancer have steadily mounted, with the number of cell-phone users worldwide growing from only four million in 1989 to over four billion in 2009. Described as a sleek silicone skin containing a proprietary technology module that redirects cell-phone radiation away from the user’s head, the Pong iPhone Case is said to be the first product proven by FCC-certified laboratories to reduce such radiation.
The case is able to reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR, a mobile industry standard of measurement) by 60% and intense ‘hotspot’ cell-phone radiation (Electric Field Intensity) by 85%, according to Pong Research. Signal strength is not reduced, the manufacturer says, while not impacting the phone’s function and battery life.
“Because of my concern about the effects of non-ionizing radiation on the human body, I arrived at the position that redirecting this energy was the best approach,” Dr. Alfred Wong, chief scientist of Pong Research, professor emeritus of physics at University of California Los Angeles and director of HIPAS Observatory in Alaska, said. “It took us a number of years of research into putting the correct antenna structure in the case itself so that the case would couple with the energy from the phone’s internal antenna.”
“Similar to smoking a cigarette,” Dr. Wong added, “one cigarette won’t kill you, but over years of exposure, the effect is cumulative. Many people are concerned about cell phone radiation, but out of necessity they continue to tolerate their own heavy usage. I think it’s a matter of balancing the fear against the need.”
The Pong iPhone Case is available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS and costs $59.95. Available for order at www.pongresearch.com, the case can be purchased immediately, with a BlackBerry model being scheduled for release later this year.