In June of 2011, my daughter, Julia, got new hearing aids. Her original Phonak hearing aids were ready for replacement after three years of rigorous use. Her audiologist ordered Naida hearing instruments and an iCom.
Julia was thrilled to order new magic ears. She was tired of her flesh colored aids, ready to trade up for fancy new light pink ones.
My husband and I were excited to add Phonak’s iCom to our arsenal of assistive technology. The iCom connects wirelessly to Julia’s Naida hearing aids. Her iPod can then be connected to the iCom via Bluetooth or the 3.5mm stereo jack. The device can also connect to our phones, making private phone calls a possibility. Julia currently uses the speakerphone, something we’re sure she’ll shy away from in her teen years.
Julia is almost seven-years-old and uses the iCom exclusively with her iPod. The device has just two buttons, which makes it somewhat user friendly for a little kid. Sometimes it doesn’t work when we first power everything on. Some combination of tapping the large square button on the front and a quick tap of the power button resolves the problems. Still, there have been instances of frustration. It’s been working well for me to push the buttons and then hand her iPod and iCom to her. We hope that she’ll become more comfortable and adept at pairing the devices all on her own.
The iCom is a wonderful way for Julia to listen to music and watch movies in the car and on airplanes. She seems to appreciate the independence and best of all, her dad and I are finally free from the Angry Birds music!