Japan to get Android phone with built-in radiation dosimeter

[Warren Stupidity]

Source: The Register

Japan's third network operator, Softbank, has outfitted its latest mass-market handset with a radiation dosimeter, proving that the inscrutable Japanese are just as vulnerable to fear-driven advertising as the rest of us.


Read more: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/29/radiation_detecting_phone/

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Nothing to see here, move along.

"proving that the inscrutable Japanese are just as vulnerable to fear-driven advertising"

or that perhaps there is a serious problem.

[longship]

1. We're going to find out.

They'll be Tweeting their measurements, time/date, and locations.

And we'll know what's what.

[JDPriestly]

2. Assuming the phones will measure accurately.

[longship]

4. Yes, but even then the data could group around the actual measurement.

Also, it's possible to calibrate the measurements using a standard.

[nilram]

3. "just as vulnerable to fear-driven advertising" ...no, getting one sounds like a reasonable response

to their situation.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. There are apparently a lot of concerns here in Japan

about the phones' accuracy, and the potential for spreading rumors based on faulty or fictitious readings. One person in the discussion linked to below even noted the irony that electromagnetic waves emitted by the cell phones are themselves a form of radiation.

http://togetter.com/li/311966

[Canuckistanian]

6. Electromagnetic waves are NOT radioactive

Everyone gets fooled by the "radiation" word.

A dosimeter is NOT going to be affected by a cell phone's radio waves.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Sure, electromagnetic waves are not radioactive

The irony, though, is that a typical user of such a cell phone living outside of Fukushima Prefecture may be more likely to be adversely affected by the electromagnetic radiation emitted by regular cell phone use, than by the radiation emitted by the reactors. For example, see http://www.neilcherry.com/

[truthisfreedom]

9. Alpha and beta particles and gamma radiation.

http://www.darvill.clara.net/nucrad/types.htm

Alpha radiation consists of doubly ionized Helium, which is a Helium atom that's lost its electrons and is reduced to two protons and two neutrons. These can be stopped with a piece of paper.

Beta radiation consists of electrons, which are smaller and faster, and can penetrate paper but can be stopped with plexiglas.

Gamma radiation is an electromagnetic ray more intense and higher on the spectrum than X-Rays, and can penetrate most things pretty easily but can be stopped with lead. Cell phone radiation is in the microwave band, which is higher on the spectrum than radio and TV frequencies, but lower than infra-red and visible light.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Frequency has nothing to do with it

Cellphone RF radiation is non-ionizing. It cannot cause the same physiological effects as gamma radiation, no matter how hard you try.

Is the food coming out of your microwave oven radioactive? Of course not.

Not all "radiation" is the same.

[hunter]

8. If every phone had a dosimeter...

... I wonder, would people avoid areas with greater natural background radiation? Would they avoid activities like flying that exposed them to more radiation?

Would they become more or less mindful of radioactive pollution if they were better able to "see" it?



http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/radon/DDS-9.html

[truthisfreedom]

10. In other news, iPhone manufacturer Apple has announced plans to include an alien invasion detector

on the iPhone 6.

Kidding.