Section 8A: Safety 349
Safety
Using Your Phone With a Hearing Aid Device
Your Palm®Centro™ smart device is compliant with the FCC Hearing Aid Compatibility
(HAC) requirements. For additional HAC information, including the HAC rating of this
product, please refer to www.palm.com/centroHAC.
Your device has been tested for hearing aid device compatibility. When some wireless
phones are used near some hearing devices (hearing aids and cochlear implants), users may
detect a buzzing, humming, or whining noise. Some hearing devices are more immune
than others to this interference noise, and phones also vary in the amount of interference
they generate.
The wireless telephone industry has developed ratings for some of their mobile phones, to
assist hearing-device users in finding phones that may be compatible with their hearing
devices. Not all phones have been rated. Phones that have been rated have a label on the
box. Your Centrosmart device by Palm phone has an M4 and T4 rating.
These ratings are not guarantees. Results will vary, depending on the level of immunity of
your hearing device and the degree of your hearing loss. If your hearing device happens to
be vulnerable to interference, you may not be able to use a rated phone successfully. Trying
out the phone with your hearing device is the best way to evaluate it for your personal
needs.
M-Ratings: Phones rated M3 or M4 meet FCC requirements and are likely to generate less
interference with hearing devices than phones that are not labeled. M4 is the
better/higher of the two ratings.
T-Rati ngs: Phones rated T3 or T4 meet FCC requirements and are likely to be more usable
with a hearing device’s telecoil (“T Switch” or “Telephone Switch”) than unrated phones. T4
is the better/higher of the two ratings. (Note that not all hearing devices contain telecoils.)
The more immune your hearing aid device is, the less likely you are to experience
interference noise from your wireless phone. Hearing aid devices should have ratings
similar to those of phones. Ask your hearing health-care professional for the rating of your