Radiation is real, and it is not a good thing for your body. I know this from my own experience. In my early days as a cellular phone user I had a Sony Ericsson R310, more commonly known as the shark fin. I still have a lump on my hip where I wore the R310 in a holster. It might be a benign lump at the moment, but it might slowly mutate into something quite cancerous. To me it is a reminder of how weak the flesh is, and how we take our health for granted. I am still grateful that I didn’t make many calls using that phone, as it would have been capable of harming my brain. Radiation straight into the soft fat tissue is never a good thing in the long run. The iPhone 4 might not be close to the old Sony Ericssons when it comes to radiation levels, but as my lump reminds me it is never wrong to be cautious.
The Bounce case is a collaboration between Pong Research and well known manufacturer case-mate. I reviewed the Pong Case for iPhone 3GS back in spring 2010. The iPhone 4 version is almost the same case design. The collaboration with case-mate seems to be more about getting it out there than changing the design or manufacturing process.
A thick silicone case with a special radiation ladder inside the back. The silicone is rubberized, and gives an excellent grip. The back of the case has some interesting thick lines across it. These add texture, and helps keeping a good grip when playing games. As with all thick silicone cases it feels bulky, and makes the iPhone 4 feel twice as thick. The volume controls are covered in a manner making them feel much like the controls found on the iPhone 3G/3GS. I really enjoy this desing more than the round buttons the iPhone 4 has underneath. The silent button is covered as well, but with a smaller accentuated rubber button. The silicone around the edges is rigid, but can not resist when you swipe across the screen. With wear the middle of the front silicone starts to bulge on both sides giving the phone an oval look. The same goes for the silicone at the bottom that tend to bulge slightly as well. There is zero chance of the phone falling out due to bulging silicone though.
For protection the Bounce offers excellent impact and scratch protection for the back, sides and area around the screen. The only open areas are the screen, charge socket and headphone socket. Worth noticing is that the headphone socket cut-out is rather small, and if you have headphones with large connectors it will be hard to use. I currently use Bose MIE2i headphones that come with a medium connector, and that extends the silicone around the cut-out. Speaking of cut-outs the cool camera cut-out needs to be mentioned. It is an eye catcher in itself with the angular design. What is less cool is the fact that the silicone attracts a lot of dirt and grime. Especially the black case tends to be greyish across the back pattern. I recommend you to try the case in pink, grey or green instead of the black.
The major reason to get the Bounce is the fact that it does reduce radiation. I am not qualified to test the Pong effect, but an overview of published results show that it does work. What I can say is that the case helps getting great reception, and testing it out I have been able to win a bar of reception compared to the naked phone. It has been hard to find positions without full coverage in my home town, but to a lot of people it might be beneficial to try the Bounce to enhance coverage. Of course it needs to be at least basic coverage otherwise it won’t help.
If you are concerned about radiation you really only have one available choice: Bounce. Thankfully it is a really accomplished product well worth investing in. Great grip, excellent protection and an interesting look all speak in its favour. On the negative we have bulkiness, tendency to get dirty and loose around the edges. These are minor concerns when compared to the radiation it reduces. This is the kind of technology that might be able to rid us of lumps in the future.
Final Rating
Bounce Case at case-mate.com $49.99
How it all works at PongResearch.com
