The result of a recent study has suggested that wearables are leading people to make uninformed choices.

An American scientist, Dr. Devra Davis, has now released a report that has recommended that consumers may not want to continue habits of storing a mobile phone in a pocket as the radiation from the device may put their health at risk.

The truth of the matter is that it is not known, for a fact, whether mobile technology causes harm or not.

The majority of studies on the health risks of using a mobile phone have had to do with holding a device up against the head. Therefore, they would be considering relatively limited lengths of time, as these devices are held up to the head only when using a calling feature. However, only a smaller number of studies have been looking into the impact on the body from keeping smartphone in a pocket. When the device is tucked in a pocket, it may not be up against the head where it can affect the brain but it might be exposing any number of other body parts to electromagnetic radiation.

Dr. Davis spoke at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science about mobile phones.

At one of those talks, she spoke of the increasing trend of carrying mobile devices in pockets, bras and even headbands, which has increased the exposure to electromagnetic radiation beyond what the majority of studies have examined. As a result, she has cautioned consumers to learn more about smartphone radiation and its impact on the body before they decide to store it against the same part of the body every day for hours at a time.

She pointed out that radiation exposure can be associated with certain negative health risks such as a change in the metabolism of the brain as well as impotence in males. There is also a growing body of evidence suggesting that radiation from smartphones could have an impact on heart diseases, diabetes or even depression in humans. Placing a smartphone in a pants pocket may even have various types of impact on the pelvic area, such as changing bone density there.

Davis indicated that device users should consult the manuals for their smartphones to learn about the types of radiation produced by their own device models and then to find out more about the impact of that specific kind of radiation on the body. It is true that many of the risks have not been conclusively proven but neither has the safety of storing mobile phones in this way. Therefore, the recommendation is being made to err to the side of safety instead of being the guinea pig that allows science to prove that storing smartphones in a pocket is, indeed, damaging to human health.

Retail event will highlight the promising future of the mobile payments space

One of the retail industry’s major conventions is coming to New York and mobile payments may be one of the highlights of the event. The National Retail Federation will be hosting the event, as usual, and the organization suggests that mobile payments may be a significant focus of many companies attending the event. Retailers have become more interested in the mobile space over the past few years, largely due to growing smartphone penetration. In order to better engage consumers, these companies have become very supportive of mobile commerce.

Rewards program may encourage consumers to make use of new payment services

The mobile payments space is still quite young, but it is growing quickly. A growing number of retailers have begun to find that engaging mobile consumers with new payment services has been successful. In order to continue finding success, however, retailers will have to add value to their mobile offerings. Approximately 78% of consumers noted that they would make use of mobile payments services more often if they had access to some sort of rewards program through these services.

Security remains a major concern for consumers

Many consumers have shown favor for mobile payments because of the convenience that it represents. The problem, however, is security. Consumers have fears that their financial and personal information may be at risk if they were to use a mobile payment service. Retailers have been targeted in the past by those wishing to exploit consumer information, with some malicious groups focusing on mobile channels.

Retailers will have to take risks to find success in the mobile payments space

Retailers will have to find ways to ensure that consumer information is protected in order to find success in the mobile payments space. They will also have to find ways to add value to existing mobile payments services. Loyalty programs may be the best way to accomplish this, as consumers have shown great favor for these programs. The mobile payments space may thrive as a result of greater security and more valuable features being offered by retailers.