hearing

We've seen a fair number of gadgets designed to assist the hard of hearing, but they usually involve emergencies of one kind or another. (First things first, we suppose.) Few have been dedicated to everyday life, much less any form of entertainment.

That's why an invention by scientists at the University Carlos III of Mardrid caught our attention. It's a technology that projects subtitles onto eyeglass lenses in real time for deaf moviegoers. And as Pocket-lint points out, it could also find a broader market because they could be used by hearing people who want to view … Read more

It's karma: As the ravages of age befall us, products for the elderly that we used to mock suddenly don't seem so funny anymore. (It starts with bifocals.)

Nowhere is that truer than in Japan, where the aging population has become a source of national concern. So it's appropriate that NTT DoCoMo has developed the "Raku-Raku," a mobile phone designed specifically for people with impaired eyesight and hearing. The phone can slow down the words of an incoming call, read text and numbers aloud, and adjust ringtones and volume according to external noise, according to … Read more

It seems that we struck a nerve with our post the other day on the "Sonic Bomb" eardrum-shattering alarm clock, perhaps a testament to today's multitasked but sleep-deprived society. As a reader service, therefore, we thought we should add the Engio's "Vibrating Alarm Watch" to the list of anti-sleep aids.

It's actually intended for hearing-impaired people, vibrating and blinking when a public alarm is sounded. The watch's mechanisms are triggered by microphones built into its strap that can be programmed to detect specific frequencies. This could be useful even for some whose … Read more

Boring holiday meals spent with relatives provide plenty of time for idle thoughts like this: Where do earphones end and headsets begin? The answer to such pseudo-existential questions may lie in Argard's M10 Bluetooth headset, which is kind of the missing link of headgear.

Although the tiny device looks more like a shiny earbud, Argard says it provides three hours of talk time and 100 hours on standby, according to Gizmodo. Yet, while we're all for wireless technology wherever we can get it, we might be worried about this thing getting lost in our aural canal.

With so many headphone brands and types to choose from, it can be hard to select the right match for your MP3 player. There are the typical considerations--color, size, quality, style, features--but what about hearing health? With so many people investing in MP3 players, it's about time we consider the effects headphones are having on all of those ears.

The popular Apple iPod comes with in-ear headphones, also known as earbuds or earphones, as well as volume-limiting software within the latest updates. Some audiologists argue that in-ear headphones are actually better for hearing health, as they lie closer to … Read more

Sometimes it seems that the entire population is wearing a headset or earphones. So why should there be a different pair for every function?

Sony Ericsson thinks there shouldn't, so it's come out with a wireless headset kit that can be used for Bluetooth cell phone signals, USB connections and even VoIP calls. It can run for up to 12 hours of continuous talk time or 300 when idle, according to Electronista.

Now if we can just figure out how to make it work with an iPod, we'll be all set.

So you like your music. You really like your music. In fact, you might even listen to your MP3 player for a solid week, 24/7, without a break.

If you fall under this category--and you have our sympathies if you do--this may be the perfect the media player. Japan's Seagrand has a model that plays non-stop for 168 hours without recharging, according to Fareastgizmos. (That's a full week; you can put away the calculator.)

It also has a built-in microphone, FM radio and 1GB or 2GB of memory in a tiny package well under 1 by 2 … Read more

A California man is suing Motorola, claiming that it failed to warn consumers that using its Bluetooth headsets at high volume for long periods of time could be dangerous.

Martin Alpert filed a suit seeking class action status earlier this month. According to reports from Crain's and others, the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that Motorola had "actual and constructive knowledge" that its headsets "posed a serious risk of harm to consumers from noise-indiced hearing loss during the headsets' normal and intended use." The complaint states that Alpert "suffered … Read more