They don’t make them like they used to…
At its best, technology enhances our lives.
To do so it has to be valuable, accessible and meaningful. Good technology is not about gimmicks or frippery but about using ingenuity and science to make people’s lives better.
Imagine showing a smartphone to some in the 1970’s. Would they be able to guess what it was, let alone what it is able to do. Would they believe that something slimmer than a cigarette packet would not only enable them to make phone calls, but to take photographs, listen to music, manage their diaries, navigate in a unfamiliar city, play games and countless other functions that we now take for granted.
In the past 100 years, the telephone has developed from a wooden box delivering a voice along a crackling line to the tiny, preternaturally powerful digital device that plays an essential role in so many people’s daily lives.
Ear trumpets to 2.4GHz
The revolution seen in phones is mirrored in the changes in design and capabilities of hearing instruments. The conspicuous and unsightly hearing aid that whistled loudly at inopportune moments is already a thing of the past. Today’s hearing instruments are tiny, sleek devices that process sounddigitally and contain more computingpower than even a smartphone. Thelatest “smart” hearing aids even interact directly with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch enabling the wearer to stream audio directly into their hearing aids.
Equal Opportunities with technology
As technology becomes more and more fundamental to the lives we lead, it becomes more important that people with hearing loss can access this technology as simply and efficiently as those without hearing loss. A hearing instrument should do more than just aid conversation. It should also enhance and simplify your interactions with technology, whether it is talking on the telephone, listening to music or, watching TV.
What does the future hold?
With more and more functions being fulfilled by smartphones, it is safe to assume that the future of communication will be centred around these devices. The future of hearing instruments therefore lies in their ability to integrate seamlessly with these systems giving people with a hearing loss equal – if not superior – access to the technological world around them. And maybe, sometime in the future they will be able to communicate directly.
Binaural Fusion is a unique technology available in ReSound Verso 9 and ReSound LiNX 9 hearing instruments. To find out more about instinctive hearing, ask your hearing aid professional or visit gnresound.co.uk
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