Cellular Phone Access - Part 4
October
2005
Editor:
Starkey's ELI (Ear Level Instrument) provides Bluetooth(R) connectivity
between hearing aids and Bluetooth(R)-enhanced mobile phones. It looks
like a pretty good technology to allow hearing aid users to
communicating using non-HAC (hearing aid compatible) cell phones.
Here are
portions of the press release.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hearing aid
users often experience a buzzing sound that makes conversations over a
digital wireless phone difficult or impossible to hear. To combat the
problem, the FCC has required cellular handset manufacturers to provide
a small selection of wireless handsets that will significantly minimize
or eliminate this interference.
The
advantage of the ELI device is that the hearing-impaired user can
utilize any Bluetooth(R)-enabled wireless phone. Bluetooth(R)-enabled
phones in a cellular carrier's existing inventory become instantly
hearing-aid compatible when paired with ELI. And the hearing aid user
can choose from a wider selection of wireless handsets.
ELI comes
in two different configurations. For Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids
equipped with a Direct Audio Input (DAI), the standard ELI can be used.
For hearing aids equipped with a telecoil, ELI can be combined with a
specially designed neckloop for proper operation. ELI is FCC, CE and
Bluetooth(R) compliant.
Starkey
President Jerry Ruzicka said, "ELI offers hearing instrument
wearers the freedom to communicate with Bluetooth(R)-compatible wireless
phones. Because the solution is wireless, it eliminates the hassle of
cable clutter."
"National
Cellular is excited to work with Starkey and a product that can help
hearing-impaired people use wireless phones," said Jack Wrigley,
National Cellular's Director of Carrier Sales. "We look forward to
our joint effort with Starkey to introduce and market this innovative
new product."
To learn
more about ELI: www.elihearing.com.
To learn
about the FCC's mandate for hearing-impaired wireless phones:
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/accessiblewireless.html.
For more
information about NCI: www.ncicellular.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2005
One way, of course, is to walk into your local cell phone store and
look for phones marked with an "M3" or "M4" rating.
Note that M4 is the best. I would strongly encourage you to try the
phone out before you purchase it; if you can't do that, getting an
"M4" rated phone might be even more important!
But before heading off to your local phone store, you might want to
spend some time looking at PhoneScoop.
They allow you to select a phone based on a myriad of features, service
providers, air interface preferences, etc. Unfortunately the original
features list used for selection does NOT include hearing aid
compatibility (HAC). But if you proceed with your selection based on
other factors, you'll get a list of all the phones that meet your
requirements. You can directly compare up to five of these phones at a
time, and that screen DOES include the HAC rating for the phones.
Note that HAC has NOTHING to do with telecoil use. The rating
indicates how well the phone prevents interference when a hearing aid is
using the microphone for input. Beginning in September of 2006, phones
will also be rated for telecoil compatibility.
