For centuries, humans have been using technology to make up for their shortcomings. People missing limbs got prosthetics. People with weak hearts got pacemakers. But, at a certain point, becoming a cyborg is less like fixing something broken than it is like gaining new powers.
Such is the case with the brand-spanking new ReSound LiNX hearing aid. The futuristic device is equipped with a 2.4GHz wireless technology and Bluetooth so you can connect to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. This lets the wearer stream sounds — music, phone calls, etc — straight to a hearing aid without wires or extra attachments. It also gives the hearing aid itself a whole new set of features thanks to a mobile app.
Most impressive: The app uses geotagging settings to remember the wearer’s optimal settings in frequently visited places like offices or restaurants. The hearing aid actually responds to what’s going on around you, and it remembers how you like things to sound in specific locations.
On top of all that, the ReSound LiNX also promises to be one of the best hearing aids on the market, as far as sound quality is concerned. It’s hard to know if that’s true without actually taking the thing out for a spin, but it’s also obvious that this is not the be-all and end-all of hearing aids. With all those features, the device is pretty bulky, and all that Bluetooth connectivity can’t be great for battery life.
Nevertheless, the idea of an automatic built-in equaliser for life sounds great even for people who aren’t hearing impaired. That’s one point for the cyborgs.
