New chips help bring high-definition sound to smartphones and other devices

Smartphone owners can surf the Web, pay bills, watch videos, enjoy music and send email. But while their gadgets have been designed to handle increasing amounts of data, experts say, less attention has been paid to their ability to clearly convey the sound of someone's voice, especially in noisy restaurants and other places.

A recent J.D. Power and Associates study of wireless-device performance concluded that problems such as voice distortion and echoes have contributed to "a halt in overall call quality improvement." One reason for that, according to some industry observers, is that phone service providers in the United States have yet to offer mobile-phone technology comparable to "High-Definition Voice," which is extensively used in other nations. As a result, "you can get better quality mobile phone calls on networks in India and Uganda than in the U.S.," said Doug Mohney, editor-in-chief of HD Voice News, which closely tracks the audio capabilities of consumer devices. But that could change soon. One reason is an expanding wireless network called 4G Long Term Evolution, or LTE, which by 2013 is expected to provide high-definition voice calls in this country. Another could be a microchip developed by Mountain View-based Audience.