Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Hear, hearHistorically, the act of covering or blocking our ears was about turning inward and shutting out the world. But headphone and earbud technology has changed that. Embedded microphones, initially designed for noise cancellation, can help pass outside sound through to our ears. EQ settings can compensate for deficiencies in our hearing, while AI tools can assess what sounds we need to hear and make sure that we do. This kind of tech has been accumulating for\u00a0years, but Apple\u2019s AirPods Pro 2 now gathers much of it together, and with little of the stigma of a traditional hearing aid.More than 1.5 billion people live with hearing loss \u2013 with some of us not aware of itAccording to the WHO, more than 1.5 billion people live with hearing loss. Some of us aren\u2019t aware of it, some of us choose to ignore it, but the vast majority of us haven\u2019t had a hearing test since childhood. \u201cThe technologies in AirPods Pro gave us the building blocks to create something that could genuinely help,\u201d says Dr Sumbul Ahmad Desai, Apple\u2019s VP of health.New iOS 18.2 software gives Airpods Pro 2 owners the option of a hearing test that generates an audiogram, a db HL rating for each ear and a hearing classification based on WHO categories (from no impairment to profound). That data can then be applied correctively to your AirPods to affect not just the media you\u2019re listening to (music, podcasts etc) but also environmental sound \u2013 so they actually become a hearing aid, at\u00a0least for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. The charge lasts around five to six hours as\u00a0against 24 hours or more from a rechargeable prescription aid, so they\u2019re not a full-time alternative, and being clinical grade, regulatory approval for the hearing aid function is needed: it\u2019s been granted in 100 countries but is still pending in the UK. In the meantime, there are other helpful iOS features for those with hearing difficulties. Sound Recognition listens out for electronic sounds unique to\u00a0your environment \u2013 eg, a doorbell or microwave \u2013 and can alert you via your iOS device. Conversation Boost amplifies sounds in front of you while reducing background noise (perfect for noisy restaurants), while Live Listen, ideal for meetings in large rooms, uses your iOS device as a microphone and passes the sound to your AirPods. Loud Sound Reduction, meanwhile, intelligently attenuates the noisy environments that are the cause of so\u00a0much hearing loss.\u00a0It\u2019s easy to assume that people who sport AirPods all day aren\u2019t listening to the world around them. In fact, they might just be listening better. \u00a0Walk this wayWandercraft has spent the past decade realising its vision of an alternative to the wheelchair: a stable,\u00a0self-balancing robot that can\u00a0walk reliably while supporting someone who can\u2019t use their legs independently. Its first product, the\u00a0Atalante X, has been used since 2019 for rehabilitation and treatment programmes, but this, its newest prototype, is the first ever exoskeleton of its type to offer complete freedom of movement, and\u00a0is designed to be used by patients at home and in the community. One of\u00a0its first public outings was at the Paralympic torch\u00a0relay in Paris, a very moving spectacle. It\u2019s now in the\u00a0process of\u00a0getting regulatory approval.\u00a0Keep it simpleThe gap between smartphones and dumbphones just got narrower. Emporia\u2019s most recent model doesn\u2019t skimp on hardware (5G connectivity, 6.58in touch screen, decent camera, NFC for contactless payments) but lets you switch from a standard Android interface to \u201cEasy Mode\u201d: a simpler version with larger buttons, streamlined comms (all notifications appear in one place rather than strewn across multiple apps) and a built-in coach to assist with day-to-day operation. It\u2019s augmented with a\u00a0panic button to alert relatives or carers in an emergency, and you can add an optional smart cover that enables everyday functions (eg, answering calls, turning on a torch) even when it\u2019s closed. Catch my fallBelgian \u201cagetech\u201d firm Nobi describes\u00a0its stylish, ceiling-mounted light as the \u201cworld\u2019s smartest lamp\u201d, and it has won multiple awards for its fall-detection capabilities. It monitors people\u2019s \u201cposes\u201d within the room and\u00a0can alert caregivers in the event of an\u00a0accident, but its real skill is preventing them happening in the first place (an 84 per cent reduction, according to a recent NHS pilot). The\u00a0light turns on as soon as you enter the room or when you get out\u00a0of\u00a0bed at night; and it records images\u00a0of how a fall happened (a trip\u00a0over a table, for example) so that\u00a0a carer can take proactive steps\u00a0to prevent it happening in the\u00a0future. Consumer sales will begin\u00a0later this year.Look and listenCurrently the only B Corp-certified audiobook platform, Cornwall-based Xigxag provides a compelling alternative to the constraints of the subscription-based audiobook model\u00a0while also making books more accessible for the one in five who struggle with traditional reading. If a\u00a0title is available in its proprietary X-book format, you get an audiobook and e-book rolled up in one; so, the\u00a0convenience of audio, played back at\u00a0a comfortable speed of your choosing, with the option of switching to the written word and accompanying illustrations whenever you like. A neat search functionality lets you get straight back to a passage you\u2019d like to hear again. @rhodri<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Hear, hearHistorically, the act of covering or blocking our ears was about turning inward and shutting out the world. But headphone and earbud technology has changed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-160214","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-tech"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}