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Nokia launches cell phones for the hearing impaired

The device consists of a wire loop that is worn around the user's neck and

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connected to the bottom of the mobile phone. The product is the first of its kind in the world.

The loopset transmits speech from the phone to the hearing aid in the user's ear, and with a microphone built into the loopset, there is no need to hold the phone to the ear.

When used with a vibrating battery, the Nokia phones double as alarm clocks. Nokia has announced that the phones would be available in Asia by end of June.

Hearing-impaired people have previously been unable to use digital mobile phones owing to interference caused by the digital signal.

All standard hearing aids have built-in support for the induction of loop technology, which has been used for decades in banks, churches, and other public places to help the hearing impaired communicate.

The hearing aid captures the signal supplied from the loop when it is on T-mode, and this same technology is now being used in the Nokia LPS-1.

A vibrating battery further enhances the use of the product. When the phone is set on automatic mode, the user only needs to switch the hearing aid to the T-mode to answer the call.

The Nokia phones make it easier for the hearing impaired to communicate through the 'short message service'.

According to Nigel Litchfield, senior vice-president, Nokia Mobile Phones, Asia Pacific, all Nokia phones support SMS in a variety of Asia languages such as Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese and simplified and traditional Chinese.

- Compiled from the Indian media

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