[General Topics] nir36:
An issue not much spoken of around PDA enthusiasts is health.

after Menneisyys's most wonderful guide on how to switch between networks I would like to develop his idea in another direction which regards to your brain staying cool.

btw, here's a reference to Menneisyys's guide.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=345524

As cellular generations evolved we got the gift of fast transfer rates.

This of course, doesn't come for free, and the higher the transfer rate, the more our brain boils.. whether we're connected to the internet or not.

This is not ALWAYS true, but let's assume that the 1 in 30 cases state is negligible.

In most cases, when you're connected to the 2G network, your device will consume less battery power than when it's connected to the 3G network.

We can refer to 2G,2.5G,2.75G,3G,3.5G.. and so forth. the main issue is not the EXACT difference between these network types but how much does each of them effect your brain.

Our devices' batteries consume power. they also radiate Electromagnetic waves which, if were visible, would create a most complex web, preventing us from doing anything since we would not be able to see.

that wasn't true in the past. the amount of energy radiated was much much much lower.

When you're connected to the 2G network, for instance, your phone tries to retain a fluent connection between its receiver and the (usually) closest relay point. this requires power. this power is also reflected into your brain.. and while a small % of it is dissipated into the air, a lot of it creates unnatural (we'll leave it at that) heat in your brain. it's something like the heat emitted from laptops (which you should also keep a good distance from.. using coolers and stuff.. or you'll get all kinds of pains.. like i have right now typing this on my laptop).

Every provider plants relay points in different places.

though it's a common belief that those relays are not healthy for you and you'd want them as far away as possible.. i'd say you don't.

it's true that having a relay 15-25m away from your window isn't exactly a vladnik carnival but there's a certain distance from the relay in which your phone wouldn't work too hard to retain a signal, and the relay (edit: not the actual relay but the effects caused by having a close relay) won't keep your neurons busy until they burst. It is obviously impossible to individually control the distance.

As 2G and 3G have different requirements, they also have different power consumption. It doesn't require much more than common logic to understand that since 3G needs to transfer more data during a short period of time, it would use more resources than 2G, which needs less during the same period.

As an introduction to the concept of "power" i'll begin by saying that 2G requires something about 3-5 times less the power to keep a live connection than 3G does. as it's not completely true, it wouldn't be wrong to say that 3G creates about 3-5 times the heat than 2G does. a fireball to your brain.

Rough numbers are averaging from 0.043mW/kb in 2G to 0.23mW/kb in 3G.. while using EDGE for instance... is much closer to 2G than to 3G.

Power dissipates by 1/r^2, r being the distance, so i'd say it's certainly fitting to use a headset rather than talking straight to your device.

of course, the best thing to do is to use your speaker.

1. You will be wise using 2G only for phone calls and use your speaker as much as you can to keep yourself away from long lasting brain damage.

2. You will be wise to use NOT MORE than the EXACT data connection you need for your applications. (i.e. if EDGE is fast enough for you, DON'T use 3G)

3. Actually, you will be wise NEVER to use 3G... but that's a bit hard for people who download porn on their devices and want 1.8-14.2MBPS :)

4. Cancer isn't a joke. BELIEVE me..

5. Cancer isn't a joke.

I'll finish by helping you understand how bad the whole issue is.

the power formula is P=I*V

in the 2G case, P=0.091*3.9=0.355W

in the 3G case, P=0.239*3.9=0.93W

the relative power is 0.93/0.355 = 2.62

this means that at my house, where there is almost maximum signal strength, 3G requires about 2.6 times the power 2G requires.

these are really rough numbers as the current also contains other factors... but you can see the general ratio.

now when the signal is low, 3G requires like 3-4 times more than required when there's a strong signal.. but 2G only requires like twice.. maybe less.. since it has a much lower transfer rate.

it is true that this is the power used and not the radiated power.. and it's true that there's distance between the battery and your brain.. but roughly..

3G is HORRIBLE. don't kill yourselves. use your phones. wisely.

- never use more than 2G unless required. 2G supplies EVERYTHING you need but video calls and internet services at the same quality.

- never use more than EDGE unless required. EDGE supplies about 300kbps which is good for surfing..

- never use 3G unless you really need a very fast connection.

you are invited to use the below tools to check how your phone acts.

Hope this helps you realize what's good for you.

EDIT: now just to clarify this issue so that i don't get clobbered, i am NOT refering to electromagnetic waves THEMSELVES (thus canceling the effect of distant electromagnetic radiation emitting devices). all i am refering to is the heat generated by your device. electromagnetic waves have yet to be proven harmful since their frequencies are too high to harm us(that's the current assumption). the heat generated by those waves tho, is known to "fry". that is, and as i mentioned before, like the heat generated from your laptop which causes inflammations.. and .. other things.

There IS a link between the electromagnetic radiation to the heat generated in our body as the higher the frequency, the higher the particle velocity, causing higher friction which causes heat. this effect is negligible when discussing distant electronic devices, since, as i said ealier, power dissipates by 1/r^2.

what i'm trying to say is, that whether it is proven you can be harmed from electromagnetic radiation and heat or not, we should just be cautious. just in case..