296 Section 4A: Important Safety InformationUsing Your Phone With a Hearing AidDeviceYour Sprint Nextel phone has been tested for hearing aid devicecompatibility. When some wireless phones are used near some hearingdevices (hearing aids and cochlear implants), users may detect a buzzing,humming, or whining noise. Some hearing devices are more immune thanothers to this interference noise and phones also vary in the amount ofinterference they generate.The wireless telephone industry has developed ratings for some of theirmobile phones, to assist hearing device users in finding phones that maybe compatible with their hearing devices. Not all phones have been rated.Phones that have been rated have a label located on the box.Your Sprint Power Vision UpStageTM has an M4 rating and a T3 rating.These ratings are not guarantees. Results will vary depending on the levelof immunity of your hearing device and degree of your hearing loss. If yourhearing device happens to be vulnerable to interference, you may not beable to use a rated phone successfully. Trying out the phone with yourhearing device is the best way to evaluate it for your personal needs.M-Ratings: Phones rated M3 or M4 meet FCC requirements and are likelyto generate less interference to hearing devices than phones that are notlabeled. M4 is the better/higher of the two ratings.T-Ratings: Phones rated T3 or T4 meet FCC requirements and are likely tobe more usable with a hearing device's telecoil ("T Switch" or "TelephoneSwitch") than unrated phones. T4 is the better/higher of the two ratings.(Note that not all hearing devices have telecoils in them.)The more immune your hearing aid device is, the less likely you are toexperience interference noise from your wireless phone. Hearing aiddevices should have ratings similar to phones. Ask your hearing healthcareprofessional for the rating of your hearing aid. Add the rating of yourhearing aid and your phone to determine probable usability: Any combined rating equal to or greater than six offers best use. Any combined rating equal to five is considered normal use. Any combined rating equal to four is considered usable.
