Designed to help those with hearing impairments to communicate, two Android apps called Live Transcribe and Sound Amplifier have been launch by Google.
With the World Health Organization estimating that there will be 900 million people with hearing loss by the year 2025, Brian Kemler, the product manager at Google’s Android Accessibility team, has stated that the power of technology will “help break down barriers and make life a little easier for everyone”.
Speaking into a smartphone’s microphone, Live Transcribe is able to take the spoken language and convert it into captions in real-time. Available in over 70 languages and dialects, Live Transcribe is also capable of two-way conversation via a type-back keyboard. To improve the transcription accuracy, an external microphone can be used.
“Live Transcribe has the potential to give people who are deaf or hard of hearing greater independence in their everyday interactions,” said Kemler.
Using wired headphones, Sound Amplifier is capable of filtering, augmenting, and amplifying the sounds in the environment. By modifying the settings in the app, users will be able to customize sound settings and apply noise reduction to minimize unwanted noises.
“Everyone can use a little audio boost from time to time, especially in situations where there’s a lot of background noise—like at a loud cafe or airport lounge,” added Kemler.
Live Transcribe is now available for beta testing and Sound Amplifier is available for download on the Play Store. Both apps are set to be pre-installed on Google’s Pixel 3 devices.
To learn more about Live Transcribe, click the link below.
https://www.android.com/accessibility/live-transcribe/
To learn more about Sound Amplifier, click the link below.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.accessibility.soundamplifier
