The world is a changin’! More and more people are using cell phones and eliminating their land lines. Although this transformation is great for so many reasons, there have not been as many options available for cell phone amplification as there have been for land lines.
Well things are looking up! Below are two cell phone amplification solutions that we have tried successfully with people who have hearing loss. They have nice, strong amplification and provide other added benefits we didn’t even know we wanted!
The HearAll from Serene Innovations ($99) looks just like a small handset for a traditional land line phone. It connects to a cellphone wirelessly via Bluetooth and provides up to 40 decibels (dB) of amplification via its hearing aid compatible handset. People love it for the fast, easy Bluetooth connection and the clear, loud sound it provides. The added benefit is the larger size, as it is harder to lose, and the feeling of talking on a regular land line telephone. See what a difference it made for Diane in a past blog post from last week.
The CS10 from Sound World Solutions ($249) looks like a traditional Bluetooth headset that one would use with a cell phone. The difference being that in addition to providing hands-free communication, it amplifies the incoming sound up 26 dB while you are on the call. This device also doubles as a personal sound amplifier to amplify sounds in your environment.
The CS10 volume is very easy to access. By accessing the button on the side of the headset, the volume increases 3 dB with each push. There are also three user profiles built-in with three different frequency settings: High, high-mid, and high-low that you can change with a tap of a button. If you have a smartphone, you can customize the CS10 even further with the free Android Customizer App.
The CS10 comes with 2 battery packs that charge in a handy cradle and fasten magnetically to the earpiece. This battery feature and the fact the CS10 allows one to go almost hands-free is very helpful for those with fine motor issues such as arthritis.
The company has recently produced an upgrade to this device, the CS50; however, for now they still sell both devices. The CS50 is currently $100 more than the CS10, and brings with it more battery life, iOS and Android Customizer apps, and the ability to stream audio from music, movies and books.
Both of these devices are available through the North Dakota Telecommunications Equipment Distribution program. Please call 1-800-895-4728 for more information.