http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:07:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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. Revenue for the year increased 4.8 percent in 2008 over 2007 to $124.8 million, whereas many other companies started seeing the impact of the recession ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2009/02/06/sonic-innovations-reports-strong-2008-sales-growth/ 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. Spectrum, with $2.7 billion in annual revenue, is carrying a debt load of $2.6 billion. In ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2009/02/06/rayovac-parent-spectrum-brands-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection/ 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! ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2009/02/02/nbc-and-nfl-join-super-bowl-closed-captioning-hall-of-shame/ 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. The new chip is currently being integrated into Phonak’s portfolio of CORE-based hearing aids and wireless accessories providing wireless connectivity between hearing aids and ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2009/02/01/nxp-semiconductor-to-deliver-low-power-wireless-chips-for-phonak-bluetooth-hearing-aid-platform/ Phonak has long touted its Audeo hearing aids as having alluring designs for cool, young, and hip users. But the features it's recently added go beyond style by delivering wireless connectivity that younger, plugged-in consumers demand. The new Audeo YES hearing aid integrates the wireless CORE platform technology to enable ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2009/02/01/phonak-audeo-yes-hearing-aid-provide-wireless-connection-to-mp3-and-bluetooth-devices/ Many people know that America Hears, Inc., is the only company to design, develop, manufacture and market a full line of premium digital hearing aids directly to consumers over the Internet--including even the programming kit they need to adjust their hearing aids themselves. Less well known is that the company ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2008/12/12/america-hears-expands-upgrades-its-unique-clicks-and-mortar-hearing-aid-business/ 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. http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2008/08/28/logitech-acquires-ultimate-ears-leading-supplier-of-in-ear-monitors-for-professional-musicians/ I've finally wised up and decided to get my hearing-aid batteries from a less expensive source than my local pharmacy. There are a lot of battery sites on the web, but the best I've found for hearing aids so far is Microbattery.com. In addition to a huge choice of small ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2008/06/15/site-review-microbatterycom-offers-hearing-aid-battery-ratings-along-with-low-prices/ Amplification of a bad signal is worse than no amplification at all, and until recently many amplified phones made comprehension more difficult, not easier, for people with hearing loss. Recent advances in digital sound shaping technology borrowed from the digital signal processing in hearing aids have improved the situation markedly ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2008/06/15/product-review-clarity-cordless-phone-provides-maximum-amplification-with-mobility/ A tree came down in our yard this week prompting a visit from our treeman, Conor Gleeson. Something was different this time: in addition to their usual safety helmets, Conor and his crew each were sporting a pair of bulky two-way communication headphones. I've seen them with hearing protectors in ... http://hearingproductsnews.com/blog/2008/06/14/peltor-headset-communicates-safely-even-in-noisiest-environments/