Note To Steve Jobs: Why Isn't The Apple iPhone Hearing-Aid Compatible?

I can't believe Apple failed to make its iPhone compatible with either hearing aids or cochlear implants. I'm in the market for a mobile phone again and just discovered the lack of compatibility. Given all the hype surrounding the iPhone launch, I'm surprised there haven't been more complaints, other than the strong objection I just found on Paula Rosenthal's HearingExchange site, some chatter on Apple forums, and a complaint made to the FCC by the Hearing Loss Association of America. HLAA has done the most advocacy for hearing-aid compatibility (HAC) regulations, which now mandate 50 percent of manufacturers' handsets meet minimum M3 compatibility standards. The M3 and M4 ratings mean there's no buzzing when you listen to the phone with your hearing-aid microphone on, and T3 and T4 ratings mean the phone works with the telecoils in your hearing aids. But according to the HLAA complaint: "Apple has now entered the scene and is predicted to shake up the entire wireless industry. Yet they are not, nor have ever been, involved in any discussions regarding HAC requirements." Steve Jobs is known for his arrogance and inflexibility when it comes to the design of his products. Apple's treatment of the hearing-impaired population is a great example. What a disappointment.

Posted by David on Sep 20, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Jawbone Bluetooth Cell Phone Headset Is A Hearing Aid In Disguise

Since its introduction late last hear, the Jawbone earpiece for Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones has seemingly taken the world by storm. It is offered in many major consumer electronics outlets as well as at Apple stores as an iPhone companion, by AT&T Wireless and at Best Buy stores. The secret to its success is not only its outstanding design, but also its cutting-edge technology. Jawbone is actually a hearing-aid in disguise, integrating advanced digital signal processing (DSP) technology to handle speech enhnancement and environmental noise cancellation in much the same ways expensive digital hearing aids help you discriminate speech in a noisy room and moderate background noise even as they perform their primary task of amplifyng sound. Among other things, Jawbone boosts the caller's voice in your ear when environmental noise is loud, and reduces the signal in more quiet surroundings. And, while Jawbone helps you hear the caller's voice better, it also helps you communicate more effectively by eliminating background noise that would hinder the person on the other end from hearing your voice. The Jawbone web site has one of the best demonstrations of noise-cancelling technology with  video of a guy speaking to you with Jawbone's noise shield off and then on as a fellow works with a leaf blower in the background. It's worth checking out.

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Posted by David on Sep 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Bernafon Brite Hearing Aids Win Prestigious Red-Dot Design Award

Shortly after my 80-year-old mother-in-law got a CIC (completely-in-the-canal) hearing aid, we got a panicked phone call one evening. "I just ate my hearing aid," she screamed into the phone. it seems she had mistakenly dropped her small hearing-aid into a bowl of nuts, and when she grabbed a handful, she chewed it right up. I chalked up the mishap to her age and her failing eyesight, but with the release of Bernafon's family of Brite hearing aids, I'm more sympathetic to anyone who might make the same mistake. The new hearing aids look like little pieces of fruit, small vegetables or candy. And they've won the prestigious Red Dot award for design. Bernafon is a susbidiary of the William Demant holding group, which owns other prestigious brands including leading hearing-aid maker Oticon as well as Sennheiser, the manufacturer of high-end headsets and other hearing-enhancement products. The new Brite hearing aids feature leading-edge features as well as leading-edge design.

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Posted by David on Sep 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Agilent Makes It Easy To Design Hearing-Aid Compatible Cell Phones

Now there's no excuse. Agilent Technologies has come up with a design system enabling manufacturers of mobile phones to easily ensure their handsets meet all the hearing-aid-compatibility (HAC) standards mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The news release and associated product material on the new Antenna Modeling Design System (AMDS) are worth looking at because they give a tutorial on electro-magnetic radition and the shielding technology required to assure your hearing aids are actually able to hear the sounds coming out of your cell phone. "By February 2008, all wireless carriers in the U.S. must ensure that 50 percent of their phones are hearing-aid compatible," says Agilent Product Marketing Manager Erwin De Baetselier. "Today, we are leading the industry by offering HAC compatibility tests in our EM simulation environment, ensuring that designers of wireless devices will be able to meet these important and rigorous specifications." I've written before about the foot-dragging by mobile phone manfacturers unwilling to put the extra effort into designing hearing-aid-compatible phones, and it's good to see a leading supplier of components and design services taking the FCC mandate seriously.

Posted by David on Sep 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Neurotone Improves LACE Hearing Comprehension Training Program

Neurotone has introduced the third generation of its groundbreaking LACE product, a personal computer learning program that helps people with hearing loss dramatically improve their listening and comprehension skills. LACE (for Listening And Communication Enhancement) was conceived by audiologists at the University of California at San Francisco and developed into a product for consumers by Neurotone. The new version, based on two years of customer feedback, includes video playback, videos with captions, standardized testing with improved result graphing, an enhanced training schedule and a 'replay' button. The improvements are designed to motivate users to keep progressing through the early stages and ultimately succeed in getting through all twenty sessions of the program. The new version comes after early impressive documented results, with one major study indicating that hearing-aid buyers who used LACE in the first 60 days after their purchase were up to 75 percent less likely to return their hearing aids for credit than those who didn't.

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Posted by David on Sep 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Siemens Gets Active With New Cielo And Nitro Hearing-Aid Families

Siemens Hearing is the quiet giant in the hearing-aid industry. While Phonak makes noise with its splashy Audeo ads, while Oticon promotes its stylish candy-colored open-fit hearing aids, while Widex keeps itself busy being the "blingi-est" hearing-aid company, and while GN ReSound makes headlines not getting itself acquired, Siemens Hearing just goes about its business developing new products based on cutting-edge technologies. Siemens has recently introduced an open-fit, behind-the-ear hearing aid for "active" users. The Cielo 2 Active family has a nanotech-based coating that is water resistant as well as a special ear tip that guards against wax and moisture. It also has a rechargeable battery. At the same time, Siemens has bucked the open-fit, behind-the-ear trend with another new product that some users (myself included) will see as a revolutionary advance: the first completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid for people with severe hearing loss. The new Nitro CIC is the first I've seen that solves the feedback problems usually associated with high-amplification in-the-canal products. That is not an easy trick, so it must incorporate some pretty slick technology.

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Posted by David on Aug 31, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

$50,000 Widex Hearing Aid Is One Of The Nuttiest Promotions I've Seen

I stumbled across a news release purporting to be from the Widex people in the U.K. promoting a gold- and diamond-encrusted hearing aid with remote controller priced at 25,000 UK pounds ($50,144 U.S. dollars). Advertising itself as the "blingi-est" hearing aid in the world, it is a version of the new Widex "M" family of hearing aids. The M family apparently is Widex's attempt to get hip and with it in the same manner Phonak  has with its Audeo family and Oticon has with its Delta hearing aids. Featuring attractive colors and different styles, including open-fit, thin-tube behind-the-ear models which are particularly appealing to aging baby boomers, the M family leverages Widex's excellent Inteo digital signal processing technologies that reduce feedback, enable better hearing in noise, and provide automatic adjustment to different acousting environments. Phonak and Oticon have done a lot of aggressive marketing, sometimes going over the top in their efforts to appeal to oldish hipsters, but I've got to say the bling-bling gold-and-diamond Widex UK promotion takes the cake and wins my prize for nuttiest hearing aid promotion yet.

Posted by David on Aug 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How To Find A Hearing-Aid-Compatible Mobile Phone

Bryan Lockwood has written in with a tip on a site that makes it very easy to find out whether the mobile phone you are shopping for will be compatible with your hearing aids. PhoneScoop.com has a phone finder which lets you search for hearing-aid compatible phones, including their 'M' and 'T' ratings. When you get there, click 'show all options' and then scroll to the middle of the page where you will find a list under  the heading Hearing Aid Compatible. Then you can check off the options you need. M3 or greater means your hearing aids microphones won't get interference from the phone; T3 or greater means the phone will be compatible with the telecoils in your hearing aids which, if you have them, transmits the voice signal directly into your aids without distortion by the microphone. I've written a lengthier piece on finding the right mobile phone on the Healthy Hearing web site which gives more advice as well.

Posted by David on Aug 12, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tinnnitus Masking Device Reduces Unwanted Noise In Your Ears

I saw an old friend at an industry function recently who had what I thought were a new pair of hearing aids in his ears, but which on closer inspection were something different entirely. He told me he's started suffering from a very bad case of tinnitus -- unwanted noise or ringing in the ears -- and sought out help from a recognized expert in the field, Dr. William H. Maxwell of Portland, Maine. Dr. Maxwell is a proponent of tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), which, very simply put, attempts to eliminate the tinnitus noises by getting the brain to ignore them. Part of the therapy includes wearing a pair of Tranquil in-the-ear sound generators from General Hearing Instruments. The Tranquil devices create soft noise that masks the tinnitus sounds in an attempt to get the brain to simply stop hearing them. As a long-term tinnitus sufferer, I have seen for myself that masking noises in different environments make my tinnitus sounds disappear. I'm very curious whether my friend's TRT treatments will work for him and will write about his progress in future posts.

Posted by David on Aug 4, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Beltone Touts New Hearing Aid As Smallest And Lightest In Its Class

Beltone has introduced the Beltone Marq, an open-fit receiver-in-the-ear hearing aid that the company describes as the "smallest and lightest hearing instrument of its kind." The GN Resound subsidiary is a well-known brand in the U.S., where it serves the market for low-to-medium-priced hearing aids through numerous retail Beltone hearing centers. The technology and design are similar to other manufacturers' tiny behind-the-ear designs with near-invisible wires to a speaker (receiver) with a soft, open tip inserted deep in the ear canal. Like the others, it is so lightweight and comfortable that the user can barely feel it on or in the ear, and from a cosmetic perspective it is truly near-invisible. The only catch is that GN Resound's parent company, GN Store Nord, is trying to sell GN Resound and its subsidiary brands to Phonak, which is intent on becoming one of the world's largest hearing-aid companies through both acquisitions and aggressive introductions of new products.

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Posted by David on Jul 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Startup Bionica To Market New 'Personal Communication System'

It's not every day a new hearing-aid company is launched from the ground up. A group of entrepreneurs in Providence, Rhode Island, yesterday announced they formed Bionica Corp. to develop and market a new "Personal Communication System." With $250,000 in backing from the Slater Technology Fund, a New England Venture Capital firm, the new company sits in the shadow of Brown University. With broad and deep experience in technology development and industrial design, Bionica's founders, Ralph Beckman and Kipp Bradford, have impressive start-up credentials. And they have recruited a CEO with world-class hearing-aid experience, Peter T. Hahn, the former President of U.S. Operations for Oticon, the world's third-largest hearing-aid manufacturer. Their personal communicator, Clio, apparently will be a next-generation hearing aid that is "based upon leading edge technology in microprocessors and sound transmission technology" but which is "carefully designed for user friendliness." I can't wait to hear more.

Posted by David on Jun 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Phonak Aims Its Colorful New Audeo Hearing Aids At Aging Hipsters

There’s a marketing bug going around the hearing-aid industry. First Oticon caught it with its Delta hearing aids, whose array of pop colors would have made Andy Warhol proud. Now Phonak has caught the bug with its Audeo hearing aids, which come in 15 hues ranging from “Crème Brule” (brown) to “Pinot Noir” (crimson) to “Pure Passion” (red) to “Green with Envy” (light green). Phonak says the new devices are not “hearing aids” but rather “Personal Communication Assistants” (PCAs) aimed at a younger – or at least younger-thinking – breed of consumers accustomed to wearing trendy Bluetooth earpieces and Apple iPod earbuds. I'm still scratching my head, though, at the photo on their website featuring the tattooed upper torso of a semi-nude man. I guess it's meant to demonstrate there's nothing to stop a hearing-impaired person from looking like a hunky model. That's fine with me. Sex sells. But then things get stranger. 

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Posted by David on Jun 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Oticon Integrates Wireless Bluetooth Receiver In New Epoq Hearing Aids

Oticon’s latest new technology is whiz bang, integrating a Bluetooth receiver inside its new Epoq family of hearing aids. Epoq also provides wireless binaural communication between right and left hearing aids to make stereophonic sound more natural. But to me the most exciting innovation is the integrated Bluetooth, which enables mobile phone reception directly by the hearing aids. I get that benefit currently with a pair of Hatis silhouettes which plug directly into my cell phone and hang behind my ears next to my behind-the-ear hearing aids. They work well but require that I be tethered to the phone in addition to taking them on and off and constantly making sure the silhouettes are set properly next to the telecoils in my hearing aids. Getting phone reception directly into the aids through a wireless Bluetooth connection is the holy graille. But the nifty new solution isn’t without its drawbacks.

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Posted by David on Apr 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Ear Gear Delivers For Cochlear Implants And Mini Open-Fit Hearing Aids

I wrote about Ear Gear hearing aid retention and protection systems a while ago and noted that if I'd been using them when I was cleaning out my gutters last fall I never would have lost my hearing aid. They are just right not only for kids prone to taking off their expensive aids and leaving them in unlikely locations, but also for active adults who need protection for their hearing aids from sweat and the elements. They even have a model for infants (which Oticon provides for free with its pediatric hearing aids). Now Ear Gear is delivering products designed specifically for new mini-open-fit hearing aids (pictured) as well as for people with cochlear implants. I like Ear Gear not only because it makes good durable products but also because it focuses on fun, colorful designs. And, rather than one size fits all, the company designs different models for different types of hearing aids.

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Posted by David on Jul 29, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Varibel Hearing-Aid Glasses Integrate Eight Directional Microphones

Hiding hearing aids in a pair of glasses is an idea almost as old as hearing aids themselves.  But Varibel, a Dutch company, has truly put new wine in old bottles by integrating eight sophisticated directional microphones into the frame of new hearing-aid glasses that the company says effectively double the boost in hearing you get from directional microphones in normal hearing aids.

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Posted by David on Apr 17, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

Starkey Adds 'BluPal' Transmitter To Bluetooth Hearing-Assistance Portfolio

Starkey Laboratories, which last year introduced its ELI Bluetooth wireless hearing-aid accessory for wireless connectivity to cellphones, is nearly ready to ship another companion product -- a 'BluPal' wireless Bluetooth microphone transmitter with a range of up to 30 feet that's no bigger than a butane cigarette lighter.  Starkey was showing prototypes at the American Academy of Audiology Audiology Now conference, and it's truly a slick product.  It's the first Bluetooth-to-hearing-aid microphone transmitter I've seen.

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Posted by David on Apr 16, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Oticon Introduces Kid-Friendly Amigo FM Assistive Listening Devices

Hearing the teacher's voice without the stress and strain of speech-reading can mean the difference between long-term success and failure in school, especially for younger children.  When hearing-aid manufacturers target school-aged customers, they do well by doing good.  Not only can they provide one of the most important learning aids a child can have, but they can also sign up a customer for life.  Oticon has recently increased its historically strong commitment to the pediatric market with the Amigo family of wireless FM assistive listening devices. Consisting of transmitters, receivers and accessories including a choice of microphones and an adaptor for cochlear implants, the Amigo family features the latest advances in wireless hearing-aid communicatio and should make it easier for educators to make kids' lives easier.  Oticon has also matched its R&D investment with  the commitment of a top-tier team, including the recent reassignment of U.S.-based product evangelist Maureen Doty to focus exclusively on the pediatric care market.

Posted by David on Apr 16, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Sonic Innovations Jumps Into Open-Fit Fray With New High-Performance Ion Hearing Aid Family

Sonic Innovations has jumped into the booming market for comfortable "open-fit" mini behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids with its new Ion Open Ear family, which it touts as the smallest and most powerful in its class.  The open-fit phenomenon -- featuring small BTEs with very thin tubes attached to lightweight, one-size-fits-all, open-vented tips inserted deep within the ear canal -- is driving the hearing-aid industry to new growth and profitability.  Because they are practically invisible, extremely comfortable, and avoid the fitting problems of both custom in-the-ear and standard BTEs with traditional earmolds, the open-fit designs appeal to baby boomers worried about both cosmetics and comfort.  And because they deliver increasingly powerful programmable solutions for high-frequency hearing loss, they hit the sweet spot of today's market: aging baby boomers who are starting to strain to hear the high notes.  Sonic Innovations is staking out leadership positions in both performance and size in this fast-growing market with its new Ion family.

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Posted by David on Apr 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Starkey 'nFusion' Hearing Aids Eliminate Feedback And Automatically Adjust To Acoustic Environment

With its nFusion hearing-aid architecture featured in a new flagship Destiny hearing-aid family, Starkey Laboratories has taken a giant step forward in the digital world.  The American hearing-aid leader claims its new platform entirely eliminates feedback while providing improved understanding of speech in noise along with automatic adjustment to different listening environments.  With its new Inspire OS fitting software, the Starkey system also makes it easier for audiologists to communicate with patients, discern their specific needs, and fine-tune the programming of the hearing aids to provide the best possible solution for the individual.  While it remains to be seen if the Destiny hearing aids will fully live up to these bold promises, the new architecture and extensive R&D investment make it clear that Starkey, traditionally a sales and marketing powerhouse, is also committed to asserting itself as a bona fide technical leader in a global industry dominated by no more than a handful of vertically integrated manufacturers.

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Posted by David on Apr 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Oticon Gets It 'Rite' With The Next Wave Of High-Function, High-Fashion Behind-The-Ear Hearing-Aids

Last year the hottest innovation driving the fastest-growing segment of the hearing-aid market was the "thin-tube, open-fit" design for behind-the ear (BTE) aids.  This year, will the hottest new products be RITE?  Oticon will show its new Delta "Receiver-in-the-Ear" hearing aids featuring the RITE architecture at the American Academy of Audiology annual conference in Minneapolis this week.  Like the thin-tube designs, the new RITE aids are comfortable and practically invisible, but by placing the speaker deep within the ear next to the eardrum, they also have the acoustical advantage completely-in-the-canal (CIC) aids.  I'll be at the AAA conference and will come home with a better understanding of just how exciting this new design may be.

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Posted by David on Apr 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Widex Super-Power BTE Hearing Aids Do The Trick For Me

After losing one of my old Widex behind-the-ear hearing aids, I finally got a new pair of super-powerful BTEs.  After thorough research, I came right back where I'd started from, at Widex.  I got the Widex Senso Diva SD-19 model, the most powerful hearing aid the company sells and a step up from my previous Senso Diva SD-9's.  (Yep, my hearing has degraded a little more).  I had been sorely tempted by Oticon, Siemens, Phonak and several of the other major brands with great high-power BTEs.  But at the end of the day I stuck with the brand I knew.  There are several reasons why.

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Posted by David on Feb 21, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

ClearSounds IL40: An In-Line Telephone Amplifer For All Seasons

Usually hotel telephones are a nightmare for me.  They almost never work, even with my telecoil setting turned on and my hearing-aid volume set as high as it will go.  (And then, insult is added to injury when the first call I want to make is to complain about the closed-captioning on the TV set not working, but I have to schlepp to the front desk in person to complain instead).  I have the same problem with phones I try to use at clients, at friends' houses... anywhere other than home, where I can rely on my trusty amplified desktop phone.  But on our recent trip to New York, I tried out a ClearSounds IL40 Portable Telephone Amplifier, and now I believe my hotel phone problems may have disappeared forever.  When I plugged it into the standard hotel-room phone, all of a sudden I could hear the voice at the front desk as well as if I were calling from home.  In no time I was making dinner reservations, calling the parking attendant, and just for fun, calling for the local weather.

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Posted by David on Nov 20, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Digital Clarity Power From Clarity Products Is Chock-Full Of Digital Signal Processing Performance

Several weeks ago I complained that Clarity Products hadn't adequately explained the enhanced Digital Clarity Power (DCP) technology it was promoting as the latest and greatest innovation for its cordless and amplified telephones.   Clarity was quick to answer my questions with comments on the blog post.  And now on their website they've unveiled the technical background information they promised. DCP uses a digital signal processing chip and sophisticated algorithms borrowed similar to those found in hearing aids to improve the performance of its amplified phones.  DCP has three main features: Multiband Compression, Acoustic Echo Cancellation and Noise Reduction.  Multiband compression uses proprietary algorithms to determine what incoming sound is the human voice, then provides more amplification to the voice signals while suppressing other sounds.  Acoustic echo cancellation elminates the feedback that happens when amplified signals from the speaker are picked up by the microphone.  And noise reduction reduces the hiss, static and background noise found on many connections, which amplified phones often exacerbate. The technology is featured in the company's new amplified Clarity Professional C2210 corded desktop phone and in its new amplified cordless portable phone, the Clarity Professional 4205.  Other than the new cordless and corded amplified phones from ClearSounds, I haven't seen any other manufacturers delivering such advanced technology in full-featured office phones for hard-of-hearing consumers.  In addition to its updated website, Clarity Products has been turning on the public relations machine.  This past week, BusinessWeek magazine featured the Plantronics subsidiary and its new DCP technology in a major feature article.

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Posted by David on Nov 17, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ear Gear Keeps Hearing Aids Safe And Secure

When I was five years old, my winter jacket had a pair of discreet retractable straps inside the sleeves with clips on the end that latched onto my mittens.  I have no doubt that without the clips I would have spent many an unpleasant hour rummaging through the lost-and-found box looking for my misplaced mitts.  Now a new company in Canada is applying the same principal to hearing aids, with a line of colorful, kid- and adult-friendly protectors for behind-the-ear hearing aids.  Ear Gear is the brainchild of Mark Rosal, whose very young daughter Shameera nearly lost a pair of expensive hearing aids on a visit to her grandmother's house.  Grandma finally discovered the hearing aids three weeks later in the the bottom of a treasure box Shameera had hidden during a game of pirates.  Expensive treasure indeed!  Mark decided enough was enough.  After experimenting with a variety of materials, he came up with a Spandex-based, slip-on hearing aid protector that shields the aid from the elements and comes with an optional attached cord and clip that can be secured to a child's clothing.  If the child yanks out a hearing aid in the midst of a game, it will hang safely from the cord rather than be lost.  

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Posted by David on Oct 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm The First On My Block With Hearing Aid Sweat Bands

Okay, call me a nerd, I don't care.  I just ordered my first pair of Hearing Aid Sweat Bands, and I can't wait to get them.  Maybe they will look ridiculous to you, but not as ridiculous as I'll feel if I continue tempting fate by playing tennis, running around in the rain,  shoveling snow at the tail end of a New England blizzard or undertaking any number of other high-risk activities with my hearing aids on, unprotected from the elements.  I have super-reliable Widex behind-the-ear aids -- they are pretty big old ugly pieces of plastic, to be sure, but I've dropped them, jogged with them on humid days, accidently walked into the shower with them, and exposed them to any number of other environmental insults, and they have never broken down.  They're like the watches in the old Timex ads -- "they take a lickin' but they keep on tickin.'"  But I've dreaded the day that a tiny drop of moisture somehow worms its way into the inner-sanctum-circuitry of  my aids and, ZAP, they die.  That utter silence you hear is the sound $4,000 makes after it has disappeared from your bank account, spent on a new pair of hearing aids.  So when I noticed an ad for the "Hearing Aid Sweat Band" from VanB Enterprises of New York, I did my research and quickly learned they are the best, maybe the only, game in town.  What are they?  Exactly what you'd think. They're tiny little sweatsuits that you put on your hearing aids to protect them from the rain, wind, sweat, sun and cold.  VanB Enterprises tested The Hearing Aid Sweat Band and determined it only muffles sound coming into the hearing aid by one or two decibels.  That's a small acoustic price to pay for the protection you get.  And in addition to protecting your aids from the elements, the Sweat Band reduces the annoying noise from wind when you're outside. But, you may ask, aren't these so simple that you might just as easily wrap up your hearing aids in a piece of fabric from home and save the $16.95 purchase price (plus $5.70 USD shipping charge)? Think again. 

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Posted by David on Sep 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Hearwear" Exhibit At London's V&A Shows Off High-Fashion Hearing-Aid Designs

Posted by David on Jul 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jabra's New Headset Is Hard-Of-Hearing Friendly

Jabra has always set trends for great design and cutting-edge consumer technology with its telephone headsets and earpieces, and now it is aiming its marketing guns directly at hard-of-hearing consumers with its announcement of the new Jabra 650 telecoil-compatible corded headset.  Though it's designed for all consumers, not just hearing-aid users, Jabra makes a big point in its news release and promotional materials about its aim to be hard-of-hearing friendly.  The headset's circuitry works with a hearing aid's telecoil, enabling the aid to transmit a clean and clear signal amplified exactly the way hard-of-hearing user needs to get it. The product also features a specially designed foam earpiece to accommodate a behind-the-ear hearing aid.  In addition to some other ease-of-use features in the product, the Jabra website has a nice compatibility guide to quickly determine if the headset works with your phone.  It's no coincidence Jabra is leading other manufacturers in making their products hard-of-hearing friendly.  Its corporate parent, GN Store Nord also owns GN ReSound, one of the world's leading hearing-aid designers and manufacturers.  It's a great example of the synergy you'd like to see more often between separate subsidiaries of conglomerates, and I'm hoping we can look forward to integration of more of GN ReSound's hearing-aid technology into other new slick consumer electronic products from Jabra.

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Posted by David on Jul 21, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bluetooth Hearing-Aid Products Debut

Starkey Laboratories announced its Bluetooth Eli (Ear-Level Instrument) last week in a news release on the Advance for Audiologists website.  So we are starting to see the long-awaited arrival of multiple Bluetooth-enabled hearing-enhancement products, which answers my question in an earlier post on whether and when all the anticipated Bluetooth products would ever make an appearance.  The Starkey news release claims it is the "first" Bluetooth product from a hearing-aid company, which I don't think is true, as the Phonak SmartLink Bluetooth product has been out and available for a while.  But it does appear to be the smallest Bluetooth-enabled hearing-enhancement product on the market, another claim made by Starkey which is certainly something to brag about.  It's a tiny device that fastens to the DAI (direct audio input) connector on your hearing aid.  It's got a microphone receiver and transmitter that communicates wirelessly with your Bluetooth-enabled cellular phone, personal communicator, or other device.   MicroTech says it allows for hands-free operation for up to two-and-a-half hours at a time.  Like the Phonak Smartlink Bluetooth personal communicator, ELI is in the advance guard of products utillizing new communications standards that will bring the hearing-aid industry into the consumer electronics mainstream.

Posted by David on Jul 12, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Good Design Trumps All Else, Even In The Portable Bed-Shaker Market

OK, I finally bought the bed shaker I was stressing about in a post a few weeks ago.  I'd been planning to buy Shake Awake, because several people had recommended it to me.  But I went with the Sonic Shaker portable vibrating alarm clock from Sonic Alert  Sonic Alert instead.  My wife Barbara tipped me toward me toward Sonic after we tried them both out at the Harris Communications booth at the SHHH (Self Help for Hard of Hearing People)  convention.  Both products are portable, battery-powered digital clocks that you keep under the pillow and which vibrate violently enough at wake-up time to rouse you from even a deep sleep.  Other than their quite different designs (one is black and rectangular, the other is a white disc), the main difference seemed to be that the black rectangular one, Shake Awake, vibrated intermittently in an annoying on-off, on-off pattern, whereas the Sonic Shaker vibrated continuously.  More important, Barbara liked the sleek flying-saucer design of the Sonic product a lot bettter.  I didn't mind the boxier tech design of the Shake Awake, but the intermittent vibrations irritated me, and I liked the Sonic disc design a lot.  So I bought the Sonic Shaker for $29.95.  But then later at the show I picked up a factoid from some research presented by Combustion Engineering that said intermittent vibrations woke up a higher percentage of test subjects than continuous vibrations.  Of course!  Intermittent Shaking = Irritated Sleeper = More Effective Wakeup Call.  So what I didn't like about the Shake Awake was the thing that might have made it the more effective alarm clock.  Luckily, in the first two times I've tried the Sonic Shaker, it's worked quite well.  And I've got to agree with Barbara, it looks great.  I guess I'm just like any other consumer: fickle and given to purchasing on impulse before I've tried and tested every product.  But if you look more closely at the process we went through, there are a couple of interesting lessons for marketers of hearing-assistance products.

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Posted by David on Jul 8, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Neckloops For Telecoil-Equipped Hearing Aids Are Cool

When I got my first neckloop two years ago, I marveled at its simplicity and utility. It's little more than a cord of insulated stereo-speaker wire that I loop around my neck and plug into a microphone or other source.  But then, through the miracle of electro-magnetic induction, it transmits pure sound directly into my telecoil-equipped hearing aids.  A typical neckloop comes with either a standard 2.5 mm connector (often used with cellphones or with headset ports on desktop phones) or 3.5 mm connector (portable CD players, personal communicators, headphones, etc).  Other neckloops are more specialized, such as the one I later purchased for my cellphone that also has a microphone to pick up my voice and an amplifier to make it easier to hear the cellphone's signal.  A real benefit of a neckloop is that I get the signal through both hearing aids: because my bilateral hearing loss features different discrete problems in each ear, getting the sound in stereo is a huge help in comprehension.  Following is a list of some of the most popular neckloop products for telecoil-equipped hearing aids and sources where you can purchase them.   Given their simplicity, they aren't as inexpensive as you might expect, but given their utility, they are a bargain.

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Posted by David on Jun 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Plug For Earplugs (And For Newsweek, Too)

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Posted by David on May 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If A-Rod Can Carry A Purse, I Can Too!

Remember that Seinfeld episode when Jerry decides to get rid of his over-stuffed wallet and start using a "European Carry-All"?  Everyone calls it a purse, and he insists it's not ("It's European!"), even though it is.  A couple of months ago, I finally got tired the tradeoff between stuffing every spare pocket with all my hearing gear (and eventually having to wear a sport coat and overcoat with yet more pockets, even in warm weather) vs. packing it all in my business briefcase that is too big to carry with me everywhere I go.  Maybe it was that doctored-up picture of Alex Rodriguez carrying a handbag down the first base line in the American League playoffs that made  the rounds here in Boston (Red Sox followers are the most knowledgeable fans in the universe but can also be the meanest as well, at least when the Yankees are in town).  Or maybe I'd just gotten over another one of those self-consciousness hurdles that can prevent you from taking advantage of all the help you need.  For whatever reason, I decided it was time to make my move.

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Posted by David on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, It's Time To Get A Portable Bed-Shaker. Any Recommendations?

When my family toured Washington, D.C., in 1964, we stayed in a Holiday Inn where one of the beds was equipped with something called "Magic Fingers." My brother and I scraped together two quarters and shoved them into the sliding arm that dropped the coins into a metal box above the headboard, and the entire bed started vibrating.  At the time it seemed like one of the silliest things I'd ever seen, and the memory of it has only gotten more ridiculous with time.  That's probably why I've had an aversion to the various bed shakers that I've heard are effective alarms for hearing-impaired people.  Last night I took a quick overnight trip to Connecticut to visit a prospective client and had to get up early this morning.  A front-desk wake-up call doesn't work for me because I can't hear the ringer without my hearing aids.  So my drill is to set the radio alarm clock with the volume turned up as loud as it will go and drag it onto the bed next to my head.  Then if I make sure to sleep on my bad ear, my good ear hears the racket and I wake up when the radio starts blaring.  But if I end up sleeping on my good ear, I don't hear it (though I pity the poor person in the room next door).  The result is I end up getting a lousy night's sleep because I wake up every 15 minutes worried that I've turned onto the good ear.  So I guess it's time to break down my resistance to the portable vibrating bed shakers that I know are out there.  But right now I'm too tired to go on the web and wade through a hundred different possibilities.  Does anyone have a suggestion?  I've put up a picture of the Shake Awake product that seems to come up on a lot of hearing-assistance e-commerce sites -- it's kind of ugly but in a Darth Vaderish sort of way, plus it's got a catchy name, so maybe it's a good choice.  I don't know. I'm too tired to tell right now. I'll let you know what I buy after I do some real research.  In the meantime, if you've got one that works for you, let me know.

Posted by David on May 23, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bluetooth Bandwagon Builds Momentum, But Where Are The HOH Products?

Every week it seems we hear of another new product for hard-of-hearing (HOH) consumers utilizing the Bluetooth wireless communications standard.  In addition to my post last month on Sound ID, I've recently discovered that Starkey Laboratories, Micro-Tech Hearing Instruments, Sonomax Hearing Healthcare, and Gennum Corp. are also getting into the act.  And I'm sure there are more.  My only comment on all these efforts is, "Sounds great, guys, but when will we actually see (and hear) the products?"  I've said before Bluetooth will be the bridge between the glittery world of consumer electronics and the stodgy old hearing-aid industry.  I can't wait to see all the cool new wireless earpieces for cellphones and other applications providing custom hearing enhancement for people with and without hearing loss.  But every time I go to the web sites of hearing equipment manufacturers talking about Bluetooth plans, I can't find a product that's actually available. A good example is the announcement in this month's Hearing Review of the world's "smallest audio Bluetooth device," a tiny new transmitter/receiver that marries technology from Micro-Tech and Starkey.

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Posted by David on May 18, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

MedBio Announces Real-Time Voice Recognition

Last week I posted a note about my dream of a speech recognition system that could be mounted on a pair of eyeglasses and project real-time captions.  This week I see MedBio Research Centre in Hawaii has announced just such a system.  The MedBio "Speak 'n Read" system integrates speech recognition into a Sony hand-held computer that records the speaker's voice and immediately displays captions on both the computer screen and a small projector on a pair of eyeglass frames.  The company's web site lists plenty of qualifications on how well it works under what conditions, but it's impressive there's a commercial product out there now.  Distribution will be through audiologists and other hearing professionals.

Posted by David on May 16, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sound ID Has A Sound Idea

Sound ID is a Silicon Valley start-up that is finally breaking down the barriers between consumer electronics and the hearing aid industry.  It is developing a Bluetooth-based product that will make it easier for everyone -- consumers with normal hearing and hearing-impaired people alike -- to understand voices on the other end of their cellphones in noisy environments.  The Sound ID Personal Sound System™ will provide a wireless link from Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones to a Sound ID EarModule™ .  The earpiece will improve the cellphone signal to make it easier for people with normal hearing to understand.  And, for anyone with a hearing impairment, it can be tuned to match the user's particular hearing profile.  The founder and CEO of Sound ID is Rodney Perkins, M.D., a famous Silicon Valley otologist and inventor who previously founded ReSound Corporation, which grew rapidly into one of the top seven global hearing aid manufacters and now sells its products under the GN ReSound name as part of GN Great Nordic Corp.  By integrating advanced DSP-based hearing-aid hardware and software with the Bluetooth digital communications standard for wireless consumer communications products, Perkins and company are finally crossing the divide between the world of hard-to-use hearing aids and the promised land of easy-to-use consumer audio products.

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Posted by David on Apr 29, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Why Don't They Lock the 'Off' Switch?

Here's a small gripe.  I recently bought a SoundWizard personal microphone and amplifying system from Hi-Tec.  It's a very cool multi-purpose device.  It's got two 3.5 mm plugs for your neckloop, earpods or headphones.  It's got directional and area microphone settings that amplify either an individual or the entire room.  It's got an attachment to amplify a standard telephone.  There is an RF receiver attachment and separate transmitter that can be connected to the TV so you can broadcast your favorite shows right into your hearing aids.  There is also an optional additional microphone that can be wired to the unit for use on a conference table.  And it also comes with a compact carrying case with straps and pouches so you don't lose the various pieces.  Pretty nifty.

But it's got one drawback that I've experienced with other battery-operated equipment: there's no lock for the "off" button.  That means when I've got the thing in my pocket or my briefcase, the slightest bump or jostle presses the green button and turns it on.  Several hours later, when I'm ready to use it, the batteries are drained.  Scrambling around for replacement batteries is a pain in the neck when you want to use the device NOW.  Plus it's an environmentally unfriendly waste of the displosable batteries you need to run it.  I've had the same problem with other devices that turn themselves on.  It's especially vexing with rechargeable devices that require a power outlet and time before you can use them again.  So here's a question for the product designers out there: why don't you put a simple locking mechanism on the "off" button? 

Posted by David on Apr 9, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Comment on Amplified Phone Design

You can tell it's an amplified phone by the size of the buttons.  A lot of hearing impaired people are old, and a lot of old people also have trouble with their vision.  Therefore, most amplified phones are designed with HUGE buttons with ENORMOUS numbers on them.  It's great the manufacturers can kill two birds with one stone.  But consumers aren't birds.  I don't need the big buttons, thank you. I see the small ones just fine.  (I feel a little like the two deaf people in the coffee shop: when the waiter sees them conversing in sign language, he very helpfully brings them menus written in Braille).  Like a lot of the marketing decisions hearing-assistance manufacturers make, the design of amplified phones is turning off what should be their most attractive target market: consumers in their 30s, 40s or 50s who will only be ordering more hearing assistance gear as time goes on.  I think that's why the manufacturers have had such a difficult time appealing to Baby Boomers, especially those who grew up in the 1960s and vowed to never get old.

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Posted by David on Mar 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Bells and Whistles: My Search for the Perfect Amplified Phone

I recently went through a long process acquiring an amplified phone. If you're a phone junkie like I am, you will want all the bells and whistles, even the ones you rarely use.   Until recently, there wasn't much to choose from.  Perhaps the market for these souped-up devices was just so small, or the technology to make phones work well for hearing-impaired people was so expensive, that most phone manufacturers didn't bother.  However, recently we have seen an increasing number of options available, from both traditional and new suppliers.  Costs of the technology are coming down.  And my guess is that as baby boomers enamored of their cellphones, Walkmen, iPods, and Bluetooth ear pieces lose their resistance to amplified hearing assistance, the market for even slicker devices for the hearing-impaired will really open up.

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Posted by David on Mar 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)