The hearing aid industry has been historically slow to market its products to consumer electronics enthusiasts. That’s why it’s good to see a growing number of hearing aid companies submitting their products for design awards and for industry recognition. The world’s biggest venue for showing off new electronic products is the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which attracted tens of thousands of visitors to Las Vegas this week. This year, Starkey Laboratories and Beltone were both named International 2011 Design and Engineering Awards Honorees at CES in recognition of their new nearing aid designs.
Starkey won the award for its new OtoLens hearing aid, which the company promotes as “the world’s first custom invisible-in-the-canal hearing aid.” Beltone earned the honor for its new Beltone True hearing aid, with wireless features that enable direct RF streaming of audio from your TV, MP3 player and Bluetooth phone without an intervening streamer unit or induction neck loop.
For Starkey, it’s the third time in as many years they’ve received the CES innovation honor. Previously it won for having won for its S Series™ with Sweep™ Technology and Zōn™ hearing aid lines. Beltone’s new True hearing aid has similar features to the ReSound Alera hearing aid, sold by its sister company ReSound (both are subsidiaries of GN Store Nord and part of the GN ReSound group of companies).
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Hearing aids are available in analog or digital models. Analog hearing aids have been on the market for years. These are less expensive than digital hearing aids but do not provide the sound quality and features that digital hearing aids do. Digital hearing aids offer a cleaner sound quality than analog models and can be programmed by computer to achieve a high level of adjustment. Digital hearing prices have fallen, hence, more people can afford them.