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Wireless World Wednesday, October 23, 2019 8 ASHA Continues to Promote Healthy Use of Popular Technology Recently, the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) launched the Healthy Communication & Popular Technology Initiative (www .communicationandtech.org), which encourages moderate use of popular technology. It focuses on providing prac- tical advice to individuals and families to develop responsible popular tech habits; conducting communication health aware- ness campaigns that promote balanced use of popular technology; and exploring the impact of popular technology usage on healthy speech, language and hearing. These efforts are not anti-technology nor are they the first time ASHA has been a national leader in the area of safe usage of popular technology. As far back as 2006, ASHA commis- sioned a large-scale national survey about the listening habits of teens and adults who used personal electronic devices that documented widespread misuse within both groups (ASHA, 2006). Media coverage was worldwide. For the next decade, ASHA encour- aged safe listening through its award- winning "Listen to Your Buds" cam- paign. Using a variety of tactics, includ- ing its safe listening concert series, which took place in elementary and middle schools across the country, the Buds campaign pro- moted simple pre- ventative messages, such as keep the vol- ume down, take lis- tening breaks and model good listening habits. Throughout, ASHA received support from the Consumer Technology Association and others, and collaborated with groups like the National Institutes of Health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the Buds campaign as an effective public education tool. As the "Listen to Your Buds" cam- paign approached its 10-year anniver- sary, one thing was clear: The issue of popular technology and communication implications encompassed more than hearing loss. With younger and younger children increasingly using tablets and other devices, ASHA raised concerns about the potential impact on speech/language development. In 2016, ASHA polled its members – audiologists and speech-language pathol- ogists – for their perspectives. A majority of respondents warned of a "communica- tion time bomb" in the form of dimin- ished hearing and speech abilities if the usage habits prevailing then didn't change. Subsequently, ASHA launched a national public service announcement campaign that promoted safe usage of popular technology. For more information, go to www .communicationandtech.org. ANT BLAZE: The Latest in Enterprise-Scale Mesh Networking Technology By Chris Pettigrew, ANT Wireless Product Manager at Garmin Canada Inc. ANT BLAZE is a robust and reliable enterprise-ready mesh networking technology for handling high node count IoT applications in large scale environments. Capable of operating independently of existing on-premise IT infrastructures, ANT BLAZE is a solution that targets monitoring and control applications in challenging environments. It can be used concur- rently with smartphones and tablets without interfering with these Bluetooth-enabled devices. Herman Miller, a market leader in commercial environments and office fur- niture design, is at the forefront of bring- ing Internet of Things into the office and was one of the first to deploy ANT BLAZE in its product offering. ANT BLAZE allowed for a solution that was both power efficient and sensor-oriented, resulting in a robust and secure mesh net- work, ideal for use in corporate office environments. As a proven, highly efficient tech- nology that effortlessly connects hun- dreds of nodes at once, companies interested in harnessing IoT capa- bilities can utilize ANT BLAZE to monitor and control processes, equipment and assets. Networks are self-forming and self-healing, for ease of installation, commis- sioning and maintenance, resulting in a solution that doesn't require any fur- ther, arduous development work. ANT BLAZE is available on D52 ANT System-on-Chip (SoC) Premium Modules from Garmin Canada Inc. bringing valuable high-node count solu- tions to the concurrent ANT/BLE con- nectivity capability of the modules. The upgraded D52 ANT SoC Module Starter Kit (D52DK2) and an Extender Kit (D52EXT1), provide devel- opers with the development tools neces- sary to create and prove out their IoT use-case solutions. About ANT ANT is an established protocol and silicon solution for ultra-low power (ULP) practical wireless networking applications. With millions of deployed nodes, ANT is per- fectly suited for any kind of low data rate sensor network topologies; from peer-to- peer or star, to practical mesh; in personal area networks (PAN) which are well suit- ed for sports, fitness, wellness and home health applications, or in local area net- works (LAN) in home and IoT applica- tions. For more information, go to www .thisisant.com/blaze. Virtual Reality Sound: What is It? Why Do You Want It? By John Kasha, Chief Executive Officer of KAI Technology Inc. We all hear sound differently. Maybe it's background noise, or just enjoying the artist's creativity either with their instruments or voice. Sometimes, we struggle to hear some- thing creative in the mix we like and raise the volume up to hear it, but it doesn't help. Introducing the m.e.™, a small device that boosts, expands and takes your listening experience to a whole new dimension in sound. Here's how it works. The m.e. brings all the hidden details of a song to life so you can hear everything. It's like being in the recording studio. It's an immersive experience. You really feel like you are actually there, on stage, with the musicians. The m.e. gives your music depth, dimension and definition making your listening experience the best it can be. For example, you're listening to a great song you have heard hundreds of times, but since the instruments or back- ground vocals have been compromised for MP3, you don't even realize you are missing out on half the music. m.e. revives your music so you now hear more of the song's original arrangements. Instruments suddenly appear in the mix, vocals pop, the music sounds alive. m.e. can be used on every piece of audio equipment in your life. From head- sets to car stereos, home entertainment to in-flight infotainment, the m.e. will change the way you hear sound forever. For more information, go to www .getmeaudio.com. Samson Go Mic Mobile – Adding Superior Audio to Smartphone Videos The rise of DIY YouTube channels, the social media explosion, video blogging, mobile journalism and electronic news gathering have led to a revolution in video content; content often self-pro- duced on tablets and smartphones. While the pixel count, lens quality and process- ing power of smartphone cameras have reached dazzling new heights, the onboard audio quality hasn't really kept pace. That's where the Samson Go Mic Mobile comes in. Billed as the first Professional Wireless System for Mobile Video, the Samson Go Mic Mobile is an enhanced audio capture system created for today's on-the-go producers. Combining proven microphone expertise and innovative wireless technology, Samson has created an easy-to-use package that delivers a dramatic improvement in voice clarity and audio fidelity. The Go Mic Mobile system is available paired with either the Samson Q8 wireless handheld dynamic microphone transmitter, or with the Samson LM8 lavalier microphone and wireless beltpack transmitter. Either microphone option can be purchased individually and added on to create a cus- tomized dual-mic configuration. Choose a mixed stereo signal, or output each channel separately to ease post-produc- tion down the line. "The Go Mic Mobile offers superior audio quality that lets me go live confi- dently at a moment's notice," says YouTube marketing maven Derral Eves. Certified by YouTube for Audience Growth, Eves is a video marketing con- sultant who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. "I produce an enormous amount of video content, and this system is fantastic for conducting my one-on-one interviews. Plus, the Go Mic Mobile is simple to use, making it the per- fect choice for any video blogger." At the heart of the package is the Go Mic Mobile receiver. This compact 2- channel wireless receiver delivers a clean, low-latency digital audio signal directly to any iOS device, smartphone, tablet or laptop via a single USB cable. Lightning, Micro-B and USB-C cables are included to ensure the proper connection. An ana- log output can provide signal to DSLR cameras and field recorders. The wireless design offers unparalleled levels of mobility, and eliminates unsightly wires from the video frame. Operating in the 2.4GHz wireless band, the Go Mic Mobile automatically seeks out the clean- est available channel to deliver a crystal clear audio signal, while achieving up to a 100-foot (line-of-sight) range. Adjustable bracket arms and/or hook-and-loop fas- teners connect the Go Mic Mobile receiv- er securely to any smartphone or tablet. The tripod adapter and DSLR shoe-brack- et provide additional camera-mounting solutions. Inside, the rechargeable lithi- um-ion battery keeps the system running for up to 13 hours. Samson USB microphones gave voice to the podcasting crowd, and its original Go Mic changed the face of VOIP and webcam communications. Now, with the Go Mic Mobile, Samson is set to revolutionize the way mobile con- tent creators capture audio for video. For more information, go to www .samsontech.com.