What?! More...

Lots of hearing aids are "Telecoil (T-coil) equipped." T-coils are designed to pick up electromagnetic signals, as opposed to microphones which register acoustic signals.

Certain telephones, cell phones, and assistive listening systems in public places (theaters, museums, etc.) produce electromagnetic signals. T-coil equipped hearing aids are supposed to "inductively couple" with such electromagnetic devices/systems to provide clear, amplified sound through the hearing aids. If you want to learn more about the technology, click here.

Few in North America know much about T-coils -- Europeans are said to know and use them more. My audiologist knew virtually nothing about the technology, and she has a Au.D.

Few of the hearing-impaired in the USA are using their T-coils. In my own case, I initially tried to use the T-coils in my new hearing aids with several different telephone handsets at home and at work. In each case, when I switched my hearing aids to T-coil from microphone, I couldn't hear the caller.

In retrospect, my hearing aides were not coupling inductively, probably because the electromagnetic signals in the ear cups were too week. At the time, I didn't know better; I just thought that T-coil technology sucked.

When I questioned my audiologist about my experience, she gave me a small, rare-earth magnet to put in the ear cup which she said would boost the electromagnetic signal. Not! It turns out that what the magnet is supposed to do is switch certain automatic hearing aids from microphone mode to T-coil mode, not boost the telephone's electromagnetic signal.

In spite of the misadventures and misinformation, I struggled on, albeit with lowered expectations. Based a few glowing testimonials that I came across in the course of my research, I decided to try an inductive loop. Luckily, my new cell phone is a Nokia 6086 (remember the Europeans know about T-coils). Furthermore Nokia makes an inductive loopset (LPS-4) that fits the cellphone model I have. Online, people are selling the Nokia LPS-4 for anywhere between $35 - $100. I paid $35, which included shipping.

When the unit arrived, there was a fat instruction book, with 3-4 pages of instructions written in just about every language on earth. The device is very simple; almost idiot-proof. Plug it into the cellphone, put the loop around your neck, and it should work. Switch your hearing aids to T-coil (one ear or two), place a call and the sound comes through loud and clear. A voice pick-up and call-answer button are located on the loopset, so your phone can stay in your pocket, except to dial.

My cellphone has a radio on board so I can listen to it during meetings and nobody is the wiser. While I can listen to music on my cell phone, the loopset only plays monaural sound.

In certain places, electromagnetic interference caused by certain electronic devices and/or machinery is a problem. Interference creates a buzzing sound in the ears which ranges from barely audible to somewhat distracting, depending on the call.

I was in love with my new Nokia 6086 cellphone before because of the Hotspot@Home feature. Now with my inductive loop, I am ready to marry it.

Cellphones - No!

I spent the last two weeks on an island in Maine. Miles from the mainland, cellphones don't work on the island (with rare exceptions).

Things change relatively slowly on the island. Social networking is done the old-fashioned way, face-to-face. But, change there is not limited by economic considerations. There's plenty of money. The community can afford cellphone service; people don't want it.

Smart with money doesn't (always) mean smart with IT... VHF radios have been used in Maine's waters for years for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications. Even thought it is easy to eavesdrop on VHF conversations, people use them instead of secure cellphones, even though cellphones work in many near-offshore waters. Once I overheard a vacationing investment banker call his office on ship-to-shore radio to discuss deals that were being worked. I don't believe you would be guilty of insider trading if you heard about an acquisition on VHF before it was announced and decided to make a quick killing.

Technological changes come to this island slowly, after some form of consensus is reached on the desirability of change. So, it is perhaps informative to know that broadband Internet access has arrived via point-to-point wireless transceivers in many places on the island while cellphone towers are nowhere to be found. In this community, it appears that cellphones are not essential, but high-speed Internet access is.

What's the significance of this finding? It is hard to say, but if this sophisticated society regards cellphones as undesirable, perhaps the day will come when no one sees cellphones as status symbols.

Want to know what other technologies are in vogue and which are louche on the island?

What's Hot?	What's Not?
Boston Whalers with big engines. GPS for marine navigation. GPS for determining how far from the hole your golf ball is (e.g., SkyCaddie). Notebook computers for teleworking Netflicks, DirecTV, HDTV for watching TV on rainy days and quiet nights Digital cameras for Christmas Card shots of the family.	Drug boats and jet skis are nowhere to be found. GPS for in-car use. Bentleys, Maseratis, Aston Martins, etc. PC workstations. Video cameras.

Conspicuous consumption is limited to some degree by the year-rounders practicing aggressive wage/cost inflation and by passing ordinances and taxes on the summer folk. The summer folk police themselves using gossip and by ostracizing those who do not conform to certain unwritten and flexible standards.