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Help Sound amplifier/hearing aid app?

albiewan

albiewan

Android Enthusiast
I have searched for an app that would allow a hard of hearing person to use earbuds and have the phone amplify the ambient sound to act as a poor man's hearing aid or souns amplifier. Not even sure if this is possible but it seems it might work in theory. Any developers out there know if this is realistic?
 
albiewan said:
I have searched for an app that would allow a hard of hearing person to use earbuds and have the phone amplify the ambient sound to act as a poor man's hearing aid or souns amplifier. Not even sure if this is possible but it seems it might work in theory. Any developers out there know if this is realistic?
Click to expand...
In answering my own question(s) I have discovered some technology called AmpliCell which is a small start-up company which has published the source code for this prototype. I know I'm not the only hard of hearing user out there and this could be a future blessing. I'm still looking for an actual app that I can download now. Here is the link: Amplification for Cellular Phones
 
Ginger labs has soundamp r for the iphone. unfortunately they have no plans to adapt it to the droid. I don't know if their code is open. A lite version is free and the full version is cheap.

if the code is open maybe a good app person could convert it

my least favorite choice would be to buy a used iphone but it may come to that.

any other ideas?
thanks
 
mtummino said:
Ginger labs has soundamp r for the iphone. unfortunately they have no plans to adapt it to the droid. I don't know if their code is open. A lite version is free and the full version is cheap.

if the code is open maybe a good app person could convert it

my least favorite choice would be to buy a used iphone but it may come to that.

any other ideas?
thanks
Click to expand...
VERY interesting. It's exactly what I was looking for. I found the site and it's great. (Ginger Labs - Products) I knew it was out there somewhere. Now, if only it becomes available on the Android market (which I'm sure it will) then it would certainly be a popular app. Thanks !
 
Gato said:
Menu > Settings > Call > Hearing Aids


Have you tried that setting?
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I think that's only for hearing aid compatibility isn't it? You know, to reduce potential feedback for those people who wear hearing aids and get too close to the circuitry in the phone?
 
Gato said:
Menu > Settings > Call > Hearing Aids


Have you tried that setting?
Click to expand...
That boosts the sound for phone calls. However he is looking for it to amplify sound around the phone, and act as sort of microphone that you can listen to.
 
Demache said:
That boosts the sound for phone calls. However he is looking for it to amplify sound around the phone, and act as sort of microphone that you can listen to.
Click to expand...
Actually I have the Droid X now and it doesn't even have those settings. Thanks anyway.
 
You really need hearing aids, no way around that. Ear buds wont give you the amplification or clarity that a hearing aid will.
 
I am deaf myself. I use hearing aids in telecoil mode and amplified neck loop plugged into the headphone jack. Works great. Its significantly gets around the limitations of the droid.
 
Nevertheless, if you insist on using ear buds then get some of those skull candy ear buds and a pocket headphone amp. You should be able to get all that for around $60.00 or so.
 
I have a small portable am/fm radio with a switch that converts it to a hearing aid. I use it with earbuds when walking the dog - and when I meet someone with whom I'd like to chat I flip that switch and voila! It would be GREAT if an app developer figured out how to use the phone that way.
 
Flash the zip i attached to make the volume twice as loud on everything...
This means media, calls, ringtones, and dialer app.
I'm assuming you're rooted...if you're not WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?
BACKUP BEFORE FLASHING THIS!(in case you want to go back to normal volume.)
Go to recovery, choose flash from sdcard, then choose the TurnItToEleven.zip let it do its thing then reboot. Enjoy double the sound volume.
 

Attachments

notaguru said:
I have a small portable am/fm radio with a switch that converts it to a hearing aid. I use it with earbuds when walking the dog - and when I meet someone with whom I'd like to chat I flip that switch and voila! It would be GREAT if an app developer figured out how to use the phone that way.
Click to expand...

Earbuds are not hearing aids.
 
T2noob said:
Flash the zip i attached to make the volume twice as loud on everything...
This means media, calls, ringtones, and dialer app.
I'm assuming you're rooted...if you're not WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?
BACKUP BEFORE FLASHING THIS!(in case you want to go back to normal volume.)
Go to recovery, choose flash from sdcard, then choose the TurnItToEleven.zip let it do its thing then reboot. Enjoy double the sound volume.
Click to expand...


Software can never replace hardware.
 
iavswn said:
Earbuds are not hearing aids.
Click to expand...

No, but the combination of the device's microphone, amplifier, and earbuds equate to an effective hearing aid.

I also have hearing aids. But this neat device means I can walk the dog while listening to radio, switching to amplifier when I encounter someone. A nice solution...
 
notaguru said:
No, but the combination of the device's microphone, amplifier, and earbuds equate to an effective hearing aid.
Click to expand...

Not really. Hearing aids now have very advanced digital signal processors in them. Only hearing aids can do telecoil too, not ear buds. Ear buds don't have over 110 db of gain either as it could cause significant hearing damage.



http://www.surfnetkids.com/safety/earbud_safety_with_volume_and_decibel_levels-23520.htm

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-...3152/24-bit-DSP-cranks-up-hearing-aid-quality

edit:

Microphones are for talking not listening. They are nothing even similar to hearing aids.
 
I was looking for an android app that can amplify the distant sound, kind a sort of eavesdropping tool ;) while googling I landed up here..
I really couldn't find any such tool then I was thinking may be its technically not feasible because mobile phones got background noise reduction filter built in for clearer calls even in noisy environment. Still could there be chances that we try to break down the little heard background noises between sources and try to amplify selected one only within software :confused:
Any thoughts guys?? Please help me, if I could get the algorithm right...i would like to give a shot to build this app for everyone :cool:
 
I think it's obvious, with and beyond the hearing aid crowd the android could prove to be a highly sophisticated listening device, with realtime audio processing including compression, so a normal person can hear the most distant whispers along with louder more present sounds. This functionality is more or less a matter of time...


falaicha said:
I was looking for an android app that can amplify the distant sound, kind a sort of eavesdropping tool ;) while googling I landed up here..
I really couldn't find any such tool then I was thinking may be its technically not feasible because mobile phones got background noise reduction filter built in for clearer calls even in noisy environment. Still could there be chances that we try to break down the little heard background noises between sources and try to amplify selected one only within software :confused:
Any thoughts guys?? Please help me, if I could get the algorithm right...i would like to give a shot to build this app for everyone :cool:
Click to expand...
 
Maybe cell phones with mp3 capability should have this feature, specially today when almost all headphones strive for noise isolation.
I remember finding a portable casssete player ages ago with a built-in microphone though it is not used for recording but rather for added function to hear conversation without removing the headset.
 
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