Nokia announces its Wireless Loopset, which has been specially designed for improving mobile communications for people with hearing aids. For the ones with hearing aid like T-coil equipped hearing aid or cochlear implant, it’s a blessing.
The Nokia loopset will provide amazing audio quality as well as a handsfree operation. Thus the hearing aid users can enjoy a premium audio on their mobile phones. The Loopset will provide the hearing aid users with wireless access to mobile calls. Some of its features are adjustable sidetone level, enhanced clarity, clarity and control of own voice, a vibrating alert, frequency response and optimized volume range.
“The Nokia Wireless Loopset provides hearing aid users with a hassle-free and handsfree connection to their mobile phones,” said Peeta Piiparinen, R&D Specialist, Nokia. “Sound is amplified more efficiently, while the distance between the phone and hearing aid means that the possibility of interference is greatly reduced. The loopset filters out background noise, which increases speech discrimination, and offers excellent audio quality in a range of environments such as the car, office, or even in windy conditions outdoors.”
The Nokia loopsets were initially designed and developed for Nokia employees with hearing hardships. Nokia had launched a loopset decade ago called Nokia LPS-1.
“At Nokia, we continuously study how we can better address the needs of people with physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments, so that also they have full access to mobile technology,” said Mikko Haho, key engineer behind the Nokia Wireless Loopset, who himself is hard of hearing. “My favorite story was from the early days – probably 1998 or 1999. We were at a conference demonstrating the first Nokia loopset. A lady came up who seemed a bit dubious about the device, but we hooked her up with it. Next thing we know, her eyes are tearing up as she has a conversation with her daughter. When she hung up, she told us that this was the first time she had been able to have a phone conversation with her daughter in three years. That kind of response really motivates us to continue to focus on making mobile technology accessible for all.”
The Loopset will start shipping worldwide during the first quarter of 2009. It is expected to be priced at less than 200 Euro.