Hearing News Watch

KONGBAKKEN, DENMARK — Less than six months following Sonova’s announcement that its next generation of hearing instruments would include 2.4 GHz connectivity in late 2016 or early 2017, William Demant Holdings announced last week that Oticon’s soon-to-be-released hearing device will include 2.4 GHz connectivity. The company’s new 2.4GHz capable hearing aid is expected to be released at the end of the second

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Clearwater Clinical, a Canadian medical device company that recently developed an adapter (Clearscope) that connects an endoscope to a smartphone to allow physicians the ability record endoscopy procedures directly on their smartphones rather than having to rely on a traditional video tower, wants to develop a self-directed hearing test to help individuals currently underserved by audiologists. In a recent Medcity

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new report, “Childhood hearing loss: act now, here’s how“.  The report coincides with the upcoming World Hearing Day on March 3, attempting to raise awareness that 32 million children worldwide live with disabling hearing loss and suggesting that 60% of that estimate (more than 19 million) could be prevented. The report also outlines

WASHINGTON, DC — Last October, US Congressman Matt Salmon (R-AZ) introduced the Hearing Protection Act of 2015, HR 3799, along with 10 co-sponsors. Since that time, it has gained an additional 42 co-sponsors, including Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and John Ratcliffe (R-TX) last week. The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the $200 transfer tax on firearm

In the November 2015 PCAST guidance recommendations, it was noted that “in the near future, people could check their hearing using automated hearing tests available online” and could use computer & smartphone interfaces that “allow adaptive self-fitting by devices in response to user needs. Custom earbuds and configurations could be made routinely by 3D printing.” Additive manufacturing, better known as

BARCELONA — While much of the hearing industry has been anticipating the official announcement of Samsung’s Earcle PSAP, or hearing aid, at this year’s 2016 Mobile World Congress (MWC), instead it was Sony announcing Monday at the event that it was officially entering the hearable market with the launch of its new Xperia Ear device. The Ear is part of the Xperia family of

The prevalence of dementia is expected to soar as the average life expectancy increases, but recent estimates suggest that the age-specific incidence of dementia is declining in high-income countries. In the February 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Claudia Satizabal and colleagues report “robust evidence” of dementia’s decline. Using observational data collected from the Framingham Heart Study from

UPDATE 5/15/16: Confirming months of rumors and speculation that Audigy was potentially courting bidders, GN ReSound announced in press release on May 15th that it has signed a long-term supply agreement with Audigy Group, which includes a contingent agreement to acquire the company, in a deal worth up to $151 million.   Rumors continue to swirl about Starkey’s acquisition of Audigy. The

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s most well respected scientific organizations, held their annual meeting in Washington, February 11-15, 2016. On Sunday, February 14, Dr. Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore participated in an AAAS symposium entitled, At a Loss for Words, or Losing Your Mind? New Views

SEOUL , SOUTH KOREA — A new report out yesterday has added further confirmation regarding months of rumors surrounding Samsung’s possible launch into the hearing aid industry. In a report by Gina Smith at aNewDomain, she discusses what was found within newly-obtained FCC documents, which were filed by Samsung in October and December 2015. According to Smith, there are two distinct filings made by the