App review: Tawkon—app that calculates radiation

The issue of radiation levels has always been in the news—be it telecom towers or cell phones—both have been criticized to some extend on the basis of certain studies, which claims that radiation levels emitted from cell phones cause diseases. Though telecom tower radiation is not in our hands, but there are certain ways from which we can curb the impact of radiation arising from smartphones. There is an application for the Android smartphones—Tawkon—developed by an Israel-based company, it monitors the time you spend on your mobile phone and determines whether your usage falls within safe levels.

Let’s start from the user interface—the app is easy to use with less buttons and settings for optimization. It has an animated and cartoony-theme, though developed very professionally. Now coming to the features—the app monitors what happens when you make or receive calls, specifically if you hold the device to your head, use the speaker or wear a headset. It calculates the minutes you spend on your phone while calling, subsequently it determines your exposure to mobile radiation. It indicates you about the radiation—if it reaches hazardous levels, and then encourages you to use your headset or speakerphone for the next call you make. It then also computes the minutes while calling via headphone or phone speakers.

Whenever you dial a call, you’ll notice a small icon in your status bar which indicates it’s monitoring during calls, concurrently it updates the stats which you view within the app itself. The app also allows you to sign up for a weekly status report, add family members to an in-app group and monitor what’s occurring on their phones. In settings, you will find pre-call warning segment, which on activation informs you about radiation levels just before you make a call. You can also select the type of alert you want—like sound and vibrate alert, only sound or vibrate alert and none.

The app is good and informs you instantly, although the method it uses to calculate the radiation levels is still unknown.

Interesting fact about this app is that Apple’s founder late Steve Jobs had personally refused the app when it was submitted for release on iPhone. Amusingly—Tawkon’s radiation report ranks Apple iPhone 4S among smartphones that emits highest levels of radiation.

We give this app a nice 4 out of 5 MYM stars. You can download the app from Google play store: Tawkon