Sonic Innovations Reports Strong 2008 Sales Growth

Sonic Innovations announced strong sales growth for its fiscal year while acknowledging the recession’s impact on the industry with a sharp drop-off in fourth-quarter sales.

Rayovac Parent Spectrum Brands Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Spectrum Brands, parent of hearing-aid battery maker Rayovac as well as other well-known consumer product brands including Remington electric razors, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to make a scheduled debt payment.

Opinion: NBC and NFL Join Super Bowl Closed Captioning Hall of Shame

Last night’s Super Bowl telecast was great, not just because the game was exciting, but also because it appeared that more ads than ever were broadcast with closed captions. How ironic, then, that the NFL and NBC themselves failed to caption their own in-house promotional ads broadcast on the show!

NXP Semiconductor to Deliver Low-Power Wireless Chips for Phonak Bluetooth Hearing-Aid Platform

NXP, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, said it will develop a single-chip, ultra-low-power radio for use in hearing systems developed in collaboration with Phonak.

Logitech Acquires Ultimate Ears, Leading Supplier of In-Ear Monitors for Professional Musicians

Logitech acquired Ultimate Ears, a leading supplier of in-ear monitors for professional musicians. Ultimate Ears has a rich history, including an early dalliance with earpiece leader Westone, which ended in tussling over patent ownership.

Site Review: Microbattery.com Offers Hearing-Aid Battery Ratings Along With Low Prices

There are a lot of battery sites on the web, but the best I’ve found for hearing aids so far is Microbattery.com. The site offers a comprehensive selection of hearing-aid batteries from all the top vendors. It promises to be the lowest-price supplier, and it offers comparative data if you are inclined to shop on performance as well as price, with a helpful rating chart based on surveys of users of the life of different hearing-aid brands and sizes when used by real customers wearing different models of hearing aids.

Sonic Innovations Lauds Vertical Integration Strategy

Hearing-aid company sticks to knitting, goes back to basics. For a transcript of the recent conference call with securities analysts, click here