One app can make a difference

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 15 February 2011 11:59

Opinion and Analysis

Sometimes iPhone apps bring me close to tears of joy.

Guest post by Charmian Gaud

I have a hearing disability and despite very expensive hearing aids I find it almost impossible to hear what's being said at public meetings. I've tried the induction loop at theatres, and although some hearing is possible it is still an enormous struggle.

During the next couple of weeks I must attend a government advisory committee and I know hearing will be nigh impossible. I've visited the site to test the induction loop and it's like the theatre - OK, but not really good.

So what does an Apple fan do when faced with a problem? She searches for an appropriate app for her iPhone.

soundAMP R ($5.99) is the most wonderful app for anyone who is hard of hearing. I am gobsmacked by how well it works. It seems like sound is magnified fourfold, and it has a range finder so you can 'zoom in' according to the distance from the sound source.

If you miss anything you can rerun the last 30 seconds, and the app can make very clear recordings which can be transferred via Wi-Fi to a computer running iTunes.

Please read on, especially if you're not prepared to risk $5.99!