Hearing News Watch

By David H. Kirkwood HONOLULU–In a match-up that might seem like David v. Goliath (or possibly Betts v. Bieber), a small company in Honolulu is taking on Apple, Inc., the world’s second largest information technology company with annual revenues of over $150 billion. In the suit, filed March 28 in Hawaii District Court in Honolulu, Randolph Divisions and its subsidiary HearPod,

WASHINGTON, DC—Lead sponsors Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) were joined by eight co-sponsors in reintroducing Hearing Aid Tax Credit legislation into the Congress on March 21. These and other sponsors will work to ensure that the measure is considered during the 113th Congress, one in which major federal tax reform is likely. This year’s bill, HR

LEXINGTON, KY—Audiology students who have an entrepreneurial flair are invited to enter the inaugural Student Business Plan Competition. The competition was organized by the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) and its Virtual Student Chapter, with financial support from the EarQ Group. The contest is open to student members of ADA who will be in their third or fourth year

LOS ANGELES–Paul Dybala, PhD, a pioneer in making the Internet a useful tool for audiologists and for persons with hearing loss, has been appointed president  of HealthyHearing.com, an online provider of information on hearing loss and hearing care in the U.S. Dybala will be in charge of the overall strategic vision and focus of the web site. Dybala will remain

Revised April 4, 2013 COPENHAGEN—William Demant Holding, parent company of Oticon, announced today that it has signed an agreement to take over 100% of Neurelec SA, a French man
ufacturer of cochlear implants, at a cost of 57.5 million Euros, or about $74 million U.S. With the acquisition, Demant has joined its archrival, Sonova, as being the only hearing aid companies

WASHINGTON, DC—For a baseball fan like Jacob Landis, opening week of the season is always a big deal. But this year will be extra-special, as the 24-year-old pizza baker from Annapolis, MD, will be part of the action. Starting tomorrow, April 3, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Landis will set off on a nearly 6-month, 10,000-mile bicycle odyssey that

  SEATTLE—Two people who have overcome hearing loss have been brought together by their commitment to helping others to do the same. One of these is Paige Stringer, founder and executive director of the Seattle-based Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss. She was announced last week as winner of the Phonak Healthy Hearing Contest. Born profoundly hard of hearing, Stringer

ANAHEIM, CA—Many thousands of audiologists, audiology students, and exhibitors will congregate here next week in this Orange County city best known as the home of Disneyland. It’s not Mickey Mouse or Frontierland that is drawing them, but rather AudiologyNOW! 2013, which is also the American Academy of Audiology’s 25th Annual Convention. Every year, AudiologyNOW! is the world’s largest gathering of

CAMBRIDGE, MA—About a year ago, Lantos Technologies Inc. of Cambridge crossed the Charles River to introduce its much-heralded 3D Intra-Aural Digital Scanner at the Hearing Solutions exhibition of the American Academy of Audiology Convention in Boston. The company said that its scanner used patented dual-wavelength algorithm technology that provided “the first platform capable of measuring direct ear scans as well

By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC–Contending that the increasing number of U.S. veterans with hearing problems has outstripped the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to meet their needs effectively, the International Hearing society (IHS) has launched a campaign to make hearing aid specialists eligible to provide to veterans with hearing evaluations and hearing aid services. Under current