Compensating for varying degrees of ambient noise in a mobile device. One possible noise compensation application has a plurality of selectable settings associated with a range of speeds of motion. This noise compensation application, when executed by the processor, configures the control circuit to: receive an input from the detector, detect an amplitude of the input, compare the amplitude with a selected one of the settings, and selectively adjust an amplification device when the detected amplitude is within a prescribed range. Another possible noise compensation application has plurality of selectable settings each associated with a range of audio frequencies. This noise compensation application, when executed by the processor, configures the control circuit to: receive an input from the detector, detect a frequency of the input, compare the frequency with a selected one of the settings, and selectively filter the ambient noise when the detected frequency is within a prescribed range.