Surround Sound From Your Cell Phone?

"As more functions and features — digital music, games and even TV or other video content — make their way onto mobile phones, improving the audio quality has become a notable goal for the cell phone industry.

ABCNews reports on a British startup company demonstrating what could be the next step up in cellular sound - surround sound - based on the science of "psychoacoustics." The article explains in great detail how it works:

"Engineers at Sonaptic Ltd have developed a new set of chips and software that can reproduce 3-D sound that seems to encompass the listener. The technology, says Sonaptic's managing director David Monteith, is based on the science of "psychoacoustics."

"It's a digital process of using complex algorithms and calculations to trick your brain into believing it is hearing sounds from all around," says Monteith.

To achieve this sound effect, psychoacoustic designers study the mechanics of human hearing. "They look at the shape of the inner and outer ears, how the head and skull conducts sound, and how all this is interpreted by the brain," says Monteith". [...]

Related articles on surround sound:

-- Cell phones get surround sound - The Sonaptic technology is based on the science of "psychoacoustics," which essentially studies precisely how sound waves interact with the ear in order to create sound effects.

-- Mobile Operators Seek Higher Sound Quality - Japanese mobile operators are taking phone sound systems to the next level with stereo-quality songs that can be fully downloaded and edited, as well as surround-sound systems that trick users into hearing a bell ringing behind them or a ball whizzing by.

-- Surround Sound on your mobile - QUALCOMM and QSound Labs have licensed technology to integrate audio enhancers into mobile chips enhancing the quality of streaming audio, music playback, ringtones and online gaming services.

-- Phonic Surround-Sound Ring Tone Service for Mobile Phones - Dwango Japan, developer of wireless applications and technology for users of next-generation mobile devices, "will be launching a ring tone delivery service for mobile phones on June 11, offering melody and voice ring tones in 3D-phonic sound.gaming.

-- Stimulating Mobile Experiences - Dual speaker technology will create live surround-sound with the phone's 3D polyphonic speaker system.