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Posts Tagged ‘digital hearing aids’

For over a hundred years, Siemens has been a market leader in the development of high quality hearing aid instruments. Siemens has focused on the style and convenience for the hearing aid user and Audiologist. Siemens holds many patents for improving the quality, sound and wearability of hearing aids and technology. With employees and partners from all over the world, Siemens is taking a truly global approach to developing the best hearing systems available.

The Siemens ‘Vibe’ and ‘Life’ model hearing aids are the company’s most popular and are all about performance and style. The ‘Vibe’ in particular has interchangeable covers which can be made to match the users outfit and adds a touch of personality. ‘The first hearing aid that fits you, inside and out’ captures the whole essence of the Siemens ‘Vibe’. This kind of move is important in order to change people’s perception of hearing aids and generally making them more acceptable, especially to someone that maybe image conscious. This may include younger users and therefore mean a wider audience will embrace hearing aids and will no longer be avoiding them if they are in need of these aids.

Wireless remote systems and assistive devices are now available and make it even more comfortable for users with a hearing aid. The Siemens TEK wireless enhancement system is a very good example of just how far hearing aid technology has come. Your mobile phone, television and music system can all be wirelessly connected and enjoyed through your hearing aid. What’s more, these add-on devices are designed with usability and often incorporate their own LCD screen for a visual, graphical display.

Siemens Hearing Aids are looking to be innovative market leading products, with technology such as TruEar technology and e2e wireless 2.0 they have set new standards in improving sound localisation. The ability to accurately locate the source of sounds is key to hearing more naturally. Sound localisation can be a big challenge, especially with traditional BTE instruments, which reduce directionality at frequencies above 1.5 kHz compared to the unaided ear. TruEar technology simulates the acoustics to restore the natural directivity of the human outer ear, thereby improving front-back localisation. It helps you distinguish sounds in front of you from those behind you. Siemens e2e wireless 2.0 technology wirelessly synchronises the instruments’ settings for better localisation in every direction.

A new generation of Affordable Hearing Aids from are available soon namely the, Siemens Pure, Life and Motion hearing aids are due to be launched June 2010. BestSound technology will be one of the major features of this new batch. This technology will be a suite of features which will include SpeechFocus, FeedbackStopper and SoundLearning 2.0. SpeechFocus uses directional microphone technology to boost the sound coming from directions where speech is detected. FeedbackStopper suppresses feedback whistling by using acoustic fingerprinting to identify feedback signal and shifting the signal frequency to break the feedback loop. SoundLearning learns the wearer’s preferences and automatically adjusts the device’s settings according to the current listening situation.

Siemens is a forward-thinking organisation and takes pride in its technology.

Geemarc a British company, based in Hertfordshire have developed what is believed to be the loudest mobile phone on the market. The research and development behind the Geemarc CL8200 mobile phone was clearly focussed towards the needs of those suffering from a hearing loss, reduced eyesight or limited dexterity.

The Geemarc CL8200 is essentially a mobile phone designed for making a receiving calls and text messages, without the other bells and whistles commonly found on more complex devices. Geemarc researched that there was a gap in the market for this type of product, with a hint of added style. The Geemarc CL8200 has been on sale for a few months and has hit a homerun with those who are hard of hearing.

The CL8200 is fully Hearing aids compatible using an induction coil built into the handset. The user guide states that it has a Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of T4/M3.
There are essentially two ways of using the CL8200 with your hearing aid:

1. Directly from the telephone handset using ‘T’
2. Indirectly using an inductive earhook, which is readily available should you find unsatisfactory background noise a problem.

The main feature that sets the Geemarc CL8200 apart from the competition is the fact that it is understood to have the loudest ringer of any mobile phone. With a decibel reading for the ringer of up to +100db and a loud speaker volume of up to +23db, you can be sure you won’t miss a call again. For comparison a pneumatic drill posts around the same figures as the ringer, normal loud speakers are usually set to around 8 -10 decibels. It also features a vibrating alert for incoming calls.
Other key features include, a 4.3 cm display with orange back light with big easy to read text, a five number emergency storage facility to contact important people when you are in need automatically with the press of one button. As well as this it also offers 3 dedicated emergency call buttons for easy access. The phone comes with a 250 memory phone book capacity and also feature key-lock function.

The basic package includes:

• Geemarc CL8200 gsm mobile telephone handset
• Desktop charging pod
• Headset – Hands Free Operation
• Li-ion rechargeable battery
• User Guide

There are other useful accessories like a car phone charger and a protective leather case as well as ear hooks, so you can enjoy the CL8200 hands-free.

The phone costs £89.99, and comes with a pay-as-you-go SIM card, with £5 worth of credit. It is also compatible with any other SIM card.

The latest statistics have shown the number of people suffering from a hearing loss has risen to just short of 9 million. About 6.5 million of that figure are over the age of 60 and a significant percentage of younger people are now recognising the signs of this condition. Above the age of 60 approximately 70% have some form of slight hearing loss. Even more astonishing is the fact that in the region of 4 million people in the UK could benefit from wearing Hearing aids but haven’t taken any action.