Living in the 4th Screen

Exploring the use of mobile technology in education and life

Need a Hearing Aid - There's an app for that.

 
EARs is an app for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch that works as a hearing aid.
 
From the company's website:

EARs lets you use your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad as a hearing aid. The app amplifies the sounds around you in real time and allows you to easily shape their tone so you can hear clear, crisp speech. With EARs’ innovative interface, improving the sounds is as easy as moving one finger. EARs can be helpful when you are having a hard time understanding a conversation in a loud room, or when you want the television to be louder without bothering others.

 

 

Having a hard time hearing - there's an app for that

SoundAmp is an app created by Ginger Labs for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The application turns your iPhone/iPod Touch into an interactive hearing device. Below is some information from their website:

soundAMP's advanced sound processor softens loud sounds and amplifies soft sounds to maximize hearing comfort.  soundAMP's processor is combined with audio filters designed to help with speech intelligibility, bringing the important sounds around you vividly into your life.

With soundAMP, you get sonic clarity at all volume levels, with limited distortion. The app allows you to adjust the tone and to improve the clarity of consonants. It even reduces the ambient and microphone 

What a great idea for an iPhone application. I wonder if this would work in a classroom for students who are hard of hearing? Instead of installing sound-field amplification systems you could supply the students with an iPod Touch with the SoundAmp application installed.