Aug

17

Clarity C4230 amlpified cordless phone review

Earlier this year, I previewed the C4230 first hand at Clarity’s world headquarters located in Chattanooga, TN.

Clarity C4230

The C4230 is a 5.8GHz cordless amplified phone, branded Clarity Professional.
It is perfect for those with a moderate-to-severe hearing loss by amplifying incoming sound up to 50dB/124dBSPL. The C4230 offers many features including a speaker phone and a digital answering machine. Available to order here.

C4230 handsetMain Features:

  • DCP™ with tone control
  • Amplifies up to 50 dB
  • 5.8 GHz w/ intercom
  • Speaker phone in handset and base
  • Digital answering machine
  • Call Waiting CID
  • Multi handset capability
  • Lamp flasher and bed shaker ports
  • Battery Backup

ERGONOMICS

C4230 SectionsSeparation of Functionalities:
Separating the different functions of the phone will help instruct the user as to where to interact with the phone to access the different features.

Because the C4230 is a feature rich phone and our target market is not familiar with complicated technologies, our products must accommodate hard (software independent) and direct buttons without looking overwhelming.

Dividing the phone into thirds also offers a visually pleasant composition.

C4230 Visual RingersVisual Ringers:
Flash to notify the user that the phone is ringing.

The visual ringer is also used as part of the design to emphasize Clarity’s technology by drawing attention to the earpiece speaker.

The “Talk” and “Speakerphone” button will also light up, notifying the user which button to use to answer the call.

The visual ringers on the base are sunken to allow the user to easily access the handset.

C4230 EarpieceEarpiece Shape:
The earpiece is shaped specifically to cup your ear, accomplishing a “custom fit” experience.
Not only comfortable, but functional. The “cup” forms a sealed chamber around the ear for better sound. This enables the phone to work extremely well with a hearing aid, reducing background noise and feedback.
The speaker cutout is in the form of the Clarity logo to signify that the technology and sound that enables you to finally hear a loved one on the phone comes from Clarity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Drawing Board Fresh, Technology | 1 Comment »

Jun

13

Digital Clarity Power (DCP) Review

Overview of the technology behind Digital Clarity Power DCP

Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC)

Software designed to eliminate squealing, howling and echo in an amplified phone. AEC breaks the feedback loop between the mouthpiece and the earpiece by not reprocessing audio which has already been amplified.

Noise Reduction

Software designed to pick out and amplify the human voice and suppress all other sounds. The frequency of the human voice varies; therefore, the software is able to identify it and apply amplification just to the voice.

Multiband Compression (MBC)

Software designed to help a listener better understand words on a call and to provide a more comfortable listening experience, by making soft sounds audible, while keeping loud sounds bearable.
It measures each incoming sound and determines how much amplification to apply to each sound based on the individual loudness of that sound.

DCP is a dynamic system, new applications are always being developed and easily upgraded.

• Higher working dBSPL limits – receiver outputs at 118 dBSPL.
• New compression algorithms mean that more gain (50+ dB) can actually deliver consistently louder sound power – making a big difference in conversational power.

Features and benefits:

Digital Clarity Power™ = Intelligent Amplification
Multiband Compression = Better understanding of words and a more comfortable listening experience.
Noise Reduction = Picks out human voice and suppress others (similar to Noise Cancelling)
Acoustic Echo Cancellation = Eliminates feedback and side tone

Posted in Technology | No Comments »