Assisted Listening
Oticon Introduces Kid-Friendly Amigo FM Assistive Listening Devices
Hearing the teacher’s voice without the stress and strain of speech-reading can mean the difference between long-term success and failure in school, especially for younger children. When hearing-aid manufacturers target school-aged customers, they do well by doing good. Read more
Introducing The Long-Awaited Convergence Of Hearing Aids And Consumer Electronics
Paul Dybala, Ph.D., the editor of both Audiology Online and Healthy Hearing, has filed a wonderful, comprehensive report on the convergence of hearing aids and the wave of consumer earpieces and headsets being marketed by cellphone makers and consumer electronics companies. In 1999, Dr. Dybala was among the first to predict the mainstreaming of ear-level hearing-assistance technology in the form of “Ear-Level Voice-Activated Systems” (ELVAS). Now he is declaring that “Elvas Lives.” Read more
Jabra’s New Headset Is Hard-Of-Hearing Friendly
Jabra has always set trends for great design and cutting-edge consumer technology with its telephone headsets and earpieces, and now it is aiming its marketing guns directly at hard-of-hearing consumers with its announcement of the new Jabra 650 telecoil-compatible corded headset. Read more
Neckloops For Telecoil-Equipped Hearing Aids Are Cool
When I got my first neckloop two years ago, I marveled at its simplicity and utility. It’s little more than a cord of insulated stereo-speaker wire that I loop around my neck and plug into a microphone or other source. But then, through the miracle of electro-magnetic induction, it transmits pure sound directly into my telecoil-equipped hearing aids. Read more
If A-Rod Can Carry A Purse, I Can Too!
Remember that Seinfeld episode when Jerry decides to get rid of his over-stuffed wallet and start using a “European Carry-All”? Everyone calls it a purse, and he insists it’s not (“It’s European!”), even though it is. A couple of months ago, I finally got tired the trade-off between stuffing every spare pocket with all my hearing gear (and eventually having to wear a sport coat and overcoat with yet more pockets, even in warm weather) vs. packing it all in my business briefcase that is too big to carry with me everywhere I go. Read more
Go America is Going Places
I’d heard of Go America in the go-go days of the dot-com boom, but back then it was just one of a million hot new suppliers of wireless data services for handheld computers. I never knew about its Wyndtell subsidiary, which focused exclusively on providing telecommunications services for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Read more
Sound ID Has A Sound Idea
Sound ID is a Silicon Valley start-up that is finally breaking down the barriers between consumer electronics and the hearing aid industry. It is developing a Bluetooth-based product that will make it easier for everyone — consumers with normal hearing and hearing-impaired people alike — to understand voices on the other end of their cellphones in noisy environments. Read more
Why Don’t They Lock the ‘Off’ Switch?
Here’s a small gripe. I recently bought a SoundWizard personal microphone and amplifying system from Hi-Tec. It’s a very cool multi-purpose device. It’s got two 3.5 mm plugs for your neckloop, earpods or headphones. Read more