Avert your eyes children, your sanity depends on it! (credit: Flickr user dickdotcom)
Batten down the hatches, folks, because if this isn't a sign of the impending apocalypse, we don't know what is.
A four year old English girl is being treated for iPad addiction, with psychiatrists saying she needs to play games on the tablet frequently or else she suffers withdrawls.
Dr Richard Graham, whose clinic charges an exorbitant £16,000 a month for a "digital detox programme", says that if it had been left longer, she might have required in-patient care.
"They can't cope [with using iPads] and become addicted," he told the Daily Mail, saying that addicting children "react with tantrums and uncontrollable behaviour when [the tablets] are taken away." You know, like the way they behave when you tell them to eat their vegetables or to stop riding the dog like a pony.
Seriously, if you have £16,000 to blow on your kids, why not pay for a push-bike rather than a pyschiatrist, and start putting the iPad up on the top shelf.
More blips!
Other bite-sized things have happened in tech and we've gathered them up for your perusing pleasure.
500,000 downloads is an underwhelming return for Facebook Home
After the giant hoopla over Facebook Home in the last couple of weeks, the company could be forgiven for thinking more than half 500,000 users would have downloaded it to see what all the fuss was about.
Well apparently, folks aren't exactly rushing to the Google Play store to download the social network's overbearing custom UI for Android, with only half a million downloads since the April 12 launch.
The company reached the landmark on Sunday, according to the Google Play listing, which TechCrunch points out pales into comparison to the 5 million downloads, Instagram gained on Android in its first 6 days.
However, there are extenuating circumstances for Facebook Home. So far it is only available on select Android devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, HTC One X and HTC One X+.
A new breed malware has been discovered within at least 32 Android apps, which may have been downloaded up to nine million times.
The so-called 'BadNews' malware was outed by security firm Lookout Mobile Security in a blog post on Friday.
All of the apps found to contain the malicious code had been approved by Google, but it appears that the harmful elements had been added after the fact, disguised as updates.
Apps containing the BadNews code have been reporting back to a server and revealing sensitive information like the phone number and handset serial number.
'Bad guys are smart'
The affected apps include English and Russian-language games, dictionaries, wallpapers and were able to make it past the Google Bouncer software that scans the Play store for harmful apps.
Marc Rogers, principal security researcher for Lookout, told Ars Technica: "You can't even say Google was at fault in this because Google very clearly scrutinized all these apps when they want in.
"But these guys were cunning enough to sit there for a couple of months doing absolutely nothing and then they pushed out the malware.
"This is a wakeup call for us in the industry to say: 'Bad guys are smart as well and they'll take a look at the security models we put in place and they'll find weaknesses in them. That's exactly what they've done here."
While we are surrounded by radio waves emitted by the Cosmos, we have only known about them since the 1890s, when wireless transmission was first demonstrated.
However, It wasn't until the late 1980s, with the advent of the first mobile phones, that radio transmitters first started entering the home, and even then, it took until the early-to-mid 1990s before mobile phones became commonplace. The mid-1990s also saw the first consumer use of wireless networks, and just as with phones, only took a few years to become mass-market products.
Look around a modern home and you will see that we are now surrounded by devices which emit radio waves, from our mobile phones to laptops and tablets, wireless routers, baby monitors, cordless phones, wireless games console controllers, some TV and Hi-Fi remotes (although most use Infra Red), wireless burglar alarm systems, Bluetooth headsets, keyboards and mice, wireless weather stations and more.
Modern mobile phones have a peak transmission power of just 2W, although earlier analogue phones were as much as 3.6W
So does all this electromagnetic radiation pose any sort of health risk to us? This is a question that many scientists have been struggling to answer and it seems that trying to get a definitive answer is not easy.
There's no doubt that Radio Frequency (RF) energy can be powerful and dangerous. Microwaves ovens use radio waves to heat food, which is why they need proper shielding to be safe. High-powered radio transmitters, such as those used on military vehicles, have warnings to keep away from the antenna, because coming into contact with it while the radio is transmitting can give you a nasty burn (known as RF burn).
Microwave ovens use a frequency around 2,450MHz (2.45GHz), Bluetooth 2,400MHz to 2,408MHz, and Wireless LAN uses 2,412MHz to 2,484MHz. Other devices, such as baby monitors and burglar alarms tend to use FM frequencies (e.g. 433MHz).
Mobile phones vary from country to country and cover a wide spectrum of frequencies although the most popular are 850MHz, 900MHz, 1,800MHz and 1,900Mhz. While any radio wave with a frequency between 300Mhz and 300GHz is classed as a microwave, it doesn't mean that they all have the same characteristics.
How bad are microwaves?
Microwave ovens are able to heat food for three reasons; the waves are highly focused, the metal box of the oven prevents the waves from dispersing, therefore they are fully absorbed by whatever is in the oven and thirdly, the emission power is very high (up to 1,000w). In contrast, a Bluetooth headset, wireless land or mobile phone's RF emissions are unfocused and unconstrained, while the emission power is much lower.
Bluetooth devices range from 1mW to 100mW, Wireless LANs between 32mW and 200mW, while 3G mobile phones have a maximum power output of 2 Watts, but will typically be operating at around 500mW, although the first analogue phones had a peak output of 3.6W.
Microwave ovens use focussed wave, at very high power and trapped within a metal container, to heat food
From this it's fairly obvious that the amount of RF energy emitted by most devices, is incredibly low. However, any device which operates near the same frequencies as a microwave oven, i.e. around the 2GHz mark, could potentially generate some of the same effects, including localised heating of tissue. It is this heating effect which has led some to believe that microwave frequency radio waves are detrimental to health.
What about phones?
In 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic, although the World Health Organisation has said that "to date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use". A number of studies have been carried out, but as mobile phone use has only been widespread for around 15 years or so, so far, there has no direct evidence of a link between mobile phone use and cancer.
One of the largest studies was carried out in Denmark and involved around 420,000 people, who had been using mobile phones for 21 years (1982 to 1995). Despite the fact that the users would have been using the higher powered analogue phones, as well as lower-powered digital phones, the researchers concluded that there was no evidence for an association between tumour risk and mobile phone use, even in long-term users.
Bluetooth headsets are very low power devices and enable you to keep your mobile away from your head
So what about other health risks? There have been many stories which claim that RF exposure can interfere with sleep patterns. Research here is contradictory, with one Finnish study showing no ill effects, others have found that pulsed RF can have an effect on the brain. Some people even believe that being soaked in radio waves has other effects upon the body, such as fatigue, lack of concentration, headaches or memory issues, and this is known as Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity.
However, in 2010, a review of 46 studies into electromagnetic sensitivity found that there was no robust evidence for the existence of electromagnetic hypersensitivity. In double-blind tests, those who claim to suffer from hypersensitivity were unable to conclusively determine whether a RF emitting device is on or off.
Reducing exposure
While RF emission power levels are regulated by national legislation, some manufacturers, it seems, take extra steps to reduce your exposure. It has been discovered that in Apple's latest iPad, there is apparently a proximity sensor, which will reduce the power of the device's 3G radio, when it detects a solid object (such as any part of your body) within 10mm top of the screen. However, according to Pong Research, it's not just human tissue which triggers the sensor, most iPad cases do as well.
The iPad contains a proximity sensor, which can be activated by many standard cases and which reduces the 3G signal strength
Pong does have a vested interest in these claims, however, as it markets a range of cases which it claims not only stop the proximity sensor of the iPad activating, when fitted with a case, but which also direct the RF energy of your mobile device away from your head., using a passive, coupled antenna. Unfortunately these are claims we can't verify, as we simply don't have access to the necessary testing equipment, however, Wired has an extensive writeup on Pong's claims and comes to the conclusion that yes, these cases do in fact live up to their claims, when tested in a compliance testing lab.
One of the points Pong makes is that most SAR (Specific Absorption Rate – a measure of how much RF energy is absorbed by the human body) tests are done on models of adults heads. The argument is that a child's head, especially one under the age of 10, has a much thinner skull than an adult and the brain is more vulnerable to the effects of RF radiation.
This is a fair point and while some more recent tests have been conducted using head models based on MRI scans of a child's head, most studies have been based on adults. Studies that have used models of a child's head have shown increased absorption of microwave frequency radio waves.
Pong's cases are custom made for each phone model, so that the case's antenna is in the optimal position
So, the question is, should you be worried about the emissions your wireless devices are giving off? This is the billion-dollar question and to our minds, still hasn't been answered. So far the evidence would suggest that adult users are at very low risk, but more research needs to be done. For children, the risks would certainly appear to be higher. Trying to police your child's phone use is probably impossible, so reducing exposure seems like the next best option.
Using a Bluetooth headset is certainly one way to reduce the amount of RF radiation your head is exposed to from your phone, although they are not the easiest things to use and far too easy to misplace. Using a case that directs radiation away from the head would seem to be the next best option and Pong's cases would certainly seem to fit the bill.
The first Firefox OS smartphone, the ZTE Open, launches soon in Spain, Venezuela and Colombia
With so many high-end smartphones about, the market for cheap PAYG phones is long dead. That's the received wisdom, but it's wrong – so wrong – because it's predicated on a mis-understanding of where the 'market' is.
If you hadn't guessed already, the US, Europe and the rest of the developed world ain't where it's at. All consumer electronics companies – and handset makers in particular – are looking much further afield.
"The big opportunity is in how we put smartphones into the hands of the next billion," says Dan Appelquist, Open Web Advocate at Telefónica Digital. "And we do not believe that the situation we currently see with smartphones in developed markets will necessarily be replicated as this happens."
Cue basic 'feature' handsets like the new Nokia 105 and Nokia 301. After an era of 'quaint Western bias' the accountants are waking up to the fact that iPhones and Galaxies don't cut it in India and other developing economies – and that's where the money is. "Market leaders in the developed world don't have the technologies or the price points to succeed and will have to innovate rapidly to do so," says Victor Basta at Silicon Valley-based analyst firm Magister Advisors.
"China and India alone have a population two and half times the combined population of the US and Europe." Analyst house IDC estimates that almost 920 million mobile devices will ship this year, predominantly in developed nations, but with seven billion souls on the planet, there's a long way to go.
The £23 Nokia 105 was the surprise hit-handset at Mobile World Congress 2013
"There is a trend towards cheap 'light-weight' versions of Android and iOS devices aimed at the third world in a bid to build brand loyalty for the future," says Kevin Curran, senior member at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). "Currently, top of the range Apple and Google smartphones are simply too expensive for the common people."
Cue the rise of basic challenger smartphones. "Some smartphone users are turning their back on Apple and Samsung for so-called 'basic phones' like Blackberry and Nokia Windows because we are now entering a new phase; one that sees a diminishing return on the extra investment for a premium handset," says Peter Chadha, Founder of DrPete and CEO of Steegle.com.
"These 'basic challenger phones' can provide their users with excellent email, internet access and even applications. This is a real shift as these alternatives historically struggled, with poor screens that lacked capacitive touch, and tardy processors." However, the likes of Siri, voice recognition and 'face unlock' are features too far for most people on the planet.
What's the world's most popular smartphone brand?
Despite what we've said about cheaper phones gaining in popularity, there's an aspirational aspect, too. A poll of 3,670 people in Brazil, India, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia last month found that Samsung is currently the brand of choice (32%) in these markets, with Nokia coming in second place (22%) and Apple in third (21%). Compare that to the UK/US, where Apple is still the frontrunner at 32%.
The same Upstream 2013 Emerging Markets Mobile Attitudes report also found that a third of emerging market consumers would buy a device from a brand that has similar functionality and features to a high-end brand, but at a lower cost. And here's the rub: 38% of Nigerians, 15% Indians, 11% Brazilians and 9% of consumers from Saudi Arabia want a smartphone for less than $100 USD, while half of those polled would be prepared to spend $100-300 USD on their mobile.
That's not enough for an iPhone or Galaxy S4, but the world's biggest economies have their own solutions.
For instance, China's most popular search engine Baidu sells smartphones made by Lenovo (and it even has its own Google Glass competitor, the Baidu Eye). Its latest handset is the LePhone A586, which has a 4.5-inch screen, runs Android 4 – including Baidu's own cloud features, apps, voice search and even voice unlock – and costs just £100/$153 USD. That's easily four times cheaper than an iPhone.
Once it's dominated China – something that's predicted to achieve next year – Lenovo and Baidu are off to Brazil where smartphone penetration is a mere 14%.
Can smartphones in developing countries easily access the internet?
No, and it's all about infrastructure – or lack of. "Across Europe you will see dozens of ISPs competing for customers, there are peering arrangements in place between them to help maximise Internet traffic efficiency both domestically and internationally, and the resulting savings are passed to the customers," says Axel Pawlik, managing director of the RIPE NCC, a Regional Internet Registry that allocates IP numbers to its members in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia. "The developing world is often a very different picture – Internet connection can be unstable and slow, and often limited to certain geographic regions."
Countries on the east coast of Africa were physically cut-off from the internet until 2009, only able to connect via satellite as there were no submarine cables linking to global networks. Even now much Internet traffic in Africa has to leave the country in order to switch to another network within the same country, so it's an expensive
Why do people in in developing countries want smartphones?
A major reason is WiFi and calling apps."Calling apps have made cheaper smartphones far more enticing by undercutting feature phones, offering longer term savings and greater coverage in exchange for a slightly larger upfront cost," says ex-Virgin Media founding executive Graeme Hutchinson, who now runs Ghost Telecom, producer of free-calling iOS & Android app FooTalk, which combines Skype-type VoIP with very low cost standard phone number calling. It even does Facebook calling, making it the world's first app to offer global Facebook VoIP – before even Facebook itself.
Apps like FooTalk allow smartphone owners to use the growing availability of Wi-Fi to fill-in the gaps in a developing country's mobile infrastructure, which is in turn changing the global focus of telecoms companies. "For operators, developed markets are at over saturation point and we're seeing a reduction in new user take-up," says Hutchinson. "Operator growth therefore has to come from emerging and developing markets. With data services central to the future of mobile, operators' traditional geographical boundaries are disappearing and they are looking to global strategies that embrace the developing world as a key part of their plans."
Premium vs cheap smartphones
"The developing economies are more price sensitive than the UK as just a difference of £10/$15 USD when multiplied into rupees or pesos starts to seem a lot more – and users who aren't particularly tech savvy will be more persuaded by price," says Chadha.
Mohammed Hussain, MD of mobile phone accessories retailer, Mobile Fun predicts that Google and Amazon will take a big stake in the low end segment of smartphones and tablets, with a Kindle Fire-style subsidised low-end mobile device possible. "We see the smartphone market evolving to offer two extremes in terms of handsets," he says. "There will be both premium and low-end handsets, leaving a dearth of handsets in the middle."
It's in the low-end sector that 'the next billion' handsets are destined, and the race to provide them could birth a new operating system – with Mozilla's Firefox OS one of them. It's due to launch this year in Latin America via Telefónica's networks, and it's a direst response to the closed app-ecosystems of Apple and Android.
There's nothing smart about the Alcatel One Touch 232, but it costs very little
Why don't Apple and Android suit developing countries?
"The current App store model present in the West, which requires consumer credit or debit card details, is not one that can be easily transferred across into emerging markets," says Marco Veremis, CEO at Upstream, which conducted the Emerging Markets Mobile Attitudes report.
It found that the lack of banking facilities available to consumers in these markets led to 42% preferring to pay for them via their mobile operator, so it's mobile operators, not platform owners, that have the advantage when developing apps and content. That explains why an open platform like Firefox OS makes sense in the developing world – and why Telefónica is so keen on it.
"We will see some unsuspecting winners in the open battle for emerging market consumers," says Veremis. Given the unique billing and marketing relationship mobile network operators have with consumers in emerging markets, they have the opportunity to be crowned Kings."
Since it's open source, Android will dominate low-end devices in developing countries for now, but Firefox, Samsung's Tizen and/or Nokia's budget Windows devices might takeover.
Could we soon a cheaper version of the iPhone?
Will high-end smartphones survive?
The next billion handsets will not be iPhone or Galaxy-flavoured, but there's obviously still an appetite for high-end smartphones. "There will always be a premium device segment, especially as the middle classes grow rapidly in China and India – these middle class consumers want premium handsets," says Hussein.
"While some observers may think that a new cheap iPhone might drive down prices, we are sceptical that Apple will target the low-end segment of the device market. After all, devices such as the iPad Mini aren't exactly cheap, and Apple has a reputation for keeping its gross margins as high as possible."
However, even Appe needs to keep on its toes. "Already in China there are seemingly amazing iPhone 5 clone phones – normally based on Android – for less than £60/$92 USD, and in time, Telco's will start providing these types of smartphones as they are competing for users and market saturation," says Chadha, who think we might see a completely different type of mobile phone delivered for the high-end.
"This would require some sort of paradigm shift which alters the high-end smartphone to be a must have for all," he explains. "For example, flexible screens or using cyborg type technology to implant connections directly into your body – to your eyes and ears – where you would want high-brand, high-quality."
In the new world order the premium, high-end smartphone will have search once again for a new business model – and a new 'killer app'.
