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Help Sound amplifier/hearing aid app?

albiewan

Android Enthusiast
Dec 3, 2009
366
33
Long Beach CA
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?
 
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?
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
 
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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



Hi,

Thanks for sharing this.
 
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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
 
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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
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 !
 
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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.
 

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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.


Software can never replace hardware.
 
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No, but the combination of the device's microphone, amplifier, and earbuds equate to an effective hearing aid.

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.
 
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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 :thinking:
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:
 
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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...


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 :thinking:
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:
 
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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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