When veteran Israeli sound enhancement developer Alango Technologies launched the BeHear product line nearly 7 years ago, we had a vision to create assistive hearing solutions that would benefit millions of people. Our dedicated team of engineers has worked hard to develop products that are easy to use, effective, multi-functional, and affordable. Many customers have shared their experiences with us (see reviews here), reinforcing that we are on the right track. But, when we recently received feedback from a Doctor of Audiology in the form of a video review and accompanying in-depth article about our newest product, BeHear SMARTO, it gave us a big confidence boost! Read more about it in the first article below, as well as more confidence-inspiring stories in the other sections.
ALSO IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
American Doctor of Audiology Reviews SMARTO
BeHear ACCESS is HSA Approved
Taking it on the Road: Care Show in UK, TEDPA in USA
“Hearing Loss for Dummies” published
Hope you’re staying cool these days!
The BeHear Team at Alango Technologies
BeHear SMARTO Expert Review
BeHear SMARTO hand-held amplifier reviewed by American audiologist.
Steve Taddei, a Doctor of Audiology and Audio Engineer, recently reviewed the BeHear SMARTO hand-held sound amplifier. He posted a video on YouTube, and a more detailed article on the Hearing Tracker Web site. The former is probably sufficient for potential customers, but if you are a hearing professional, audio enthusiast, or sound engineer you will definitely appreciate the additional details in the written article. Both media include sound samples, so you can’t go wrong!
BeHear ACCESS is HSA Approved
BeHear ACCESS approved for HSA funds.
If you have an HSA account it is all the more reason to purchase a BeHear ACCESS hearing amplifier to help you hear better! An HSA is a type of savings account for Americans that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. As a result you will spend less on your overall health costs.
BeHear Hits the Road
BeHear teams in the U.K. and the U.S.A. were on the road again (finally!) to demonstrate BeHear products live at two different tradeshows.
Engaging care staff and administrators at the UK Care Event in Birmingham, UK (top) and introducing state program personnel at TEDPA in Indianapolis, USA.
The UK Care Show in Birmingham (England) brought together care workers and administrators. Since staff retention is a major concern, in our speaking opportunity we positioned BeHear SMARTO as a good way to improve communication and relieve frustration, fatigue, and stress among caregivers. You are welcome to download our presentation on the topic.
We also exhibited at the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program Association (TEDPA) annual conference which took place in Indianapolis, Indiana (after a 2-year hiatus). Representatives from 27 States came to learn how to use their budgets to improve wellness for their constituents. BeHear products are already included in a number of States’ offerings. Contact us to find out if yours is one of them!
“Hearing Loss for Dummies” Book Published
Current and easy to understand information about hearing loss and various ways to treat it
Two of our favorite hearing research specialists, Frank R. Lin, M.D and Nicholas Reed of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, have just published a book entitled “Hearing Loss for Dummies“. If you or someone you care about suffers from hearing loss, you’ll find lots of useful information in this book. For example:
Understanding how hearing works — and how it changes as we age
Determining whether you need testing and, if so, where to turn
Learning practical solutions for hearing better at home, at work, on the phone, and in restaurants and theaters
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Our goal is to democratize hearing and help make everyone’s life sound better. That’s why we make cutting edge hearing technology accessible to everyone who needs it. BUT, since prevention is the best cure, we’ve decided to share 3 easy hearing tips that will help protect you and the people you love from hearing loss in the future:
Hearing tip № 1
Love to spend time at restaurants and bars with loud music? How about rock concerts?Prepare to be our customer! The outbreak of Covid19 made it difficult to do many of the things we most enjoy. The good news is that, as vaccinations become more prevalent and quarantines are opened, we are going back to our old routines. The bad news is that loud music creates a dangerous level of sound which damages your ears. Avoid being close to loudspeakers, especially for extended periods of time. Prepare in advance and use earplugs or give your ears a rest by going outside from time to time.
Hearing tip № 2
Working in a loud place without hearing protection? Welcome to our club! Many people are exposed the sounds generated by machinery during their working hours. That means extended exposure, day after day, for years. Hearing loss occurs slowly, over time and so, for example, a construction worker might not notice there is a problem until it is too late. This is a case of better safe than sorry! Your employer should supply you with ear protection in the form of noise cancelling headphones, or at least earplugs. If they don’t, it’s worth purchasing your own earplugs. The expense is small but the benefit in avoiding accumulative damage is large.
Hearing tip № 3
Are you a parent to a teenager? It’s important to check whether or not they are blasting their eardrums, paving the way to a future of hearing loss. Teenagers commonly prefer listening to music at the highest possible volume to lose themselves in the beat. If you can hear the music “spilling out” of their room or headset, it is too loud – but that also means you are in luck! It’s highly probable that your teenager is blasting his or her ears via their headphones and, unless you actively check, you will never know. Be active in teaching hearing health awareness. Your kids might think you are annoying now (they will for a million other things anyway), but they will thank you in the future.
Whenever possible, it is best to prevent difficulties, but if you are currently experiencing hearing loss, no worries! Our hearables offer a simple and accessible hearing enhancement solution that make life sound better. There is no reason to miss out on the activities and interactions that you love!
Phone Conversations Are Now Clear for Both Parties
May 27, 2020
“I also find this to greatly help with TV listening.”
Neil sporting his BeHear NOW headset. Note how it doesn’t interfere with his glasses!
♦ We love hearing back from our customers about their experiences with our products. Of course, it is always wonderful to learn that your efforts have led to an improved quality of life for someone, but constructive feedback about how to improve our products is also welcome!
Neil Nedrow is a relatively new customer who shared his thoughts with us by completing our customer survey, and then adding comments in e-mail correspondence.
Neil wrote:
“In the past, I’ve had trouble understanding people in phone conversations. But BeHear Now has completely eliminated that problem. And everyone has been able to hear me clearly. This is something I highly value. It works excellently. I also find this to greatly help with TV listening. I use the transmitter with headphones and the comprehension is quite good.”
It works excellently. – Neil Nedrow, Satisfied Customer
He suggested:
Run the earpiece wires from the back part of the device on each side below and slightly behind the ears. That would keep them away from the face.
Put a magnet at the bottom of each controller piece (where the earpiece wires are currently located) so it would be easier to find at you throat. I’ve taped magnets there and it’s helpful as it keeps everything in place.
He added:
“I also think there is a market for people who have some hearing loss who love listening to music and would like a device that would compensate for their hearing loss. Just for listening to music and not as a ‘hearing aid’.”
“Even when I was facing the computer instead of her, she could hear me!”
“I’ll never forget the day I put BeHear NOW in her ears. She immediately liked them. She could hear me clearly and the headset was so comfortable in her ears.”
♦ Although Lori Cunningham, an editor at the WellConnectedMom.com Web site, doesn’t have hearing loss, her mother-in-law does.
Lori decided to review the BeHear NOW personalizable hearing amplifier, testing this “hearable” out on her mother-in-law.
Lori reports “I wasn’t sure if the BeHear NOW hearable would work with my mother-in-law. She already has hearing aids and yet we still struggle in our attempts for her to hear us.”
“As BeHear NOW is designed for those with mild-to-moderate hearing, I had my doubts. But I thought, if perhaps this hearable could work, it would be a blessing for both her and my family!”
I’ll never forget the day I put BeHear NOW in her ears. She immediately liked them. She could hear me clearly and the headset was so comfortable in her ears. – Lori Cunningham, Editor at WellConnectedMom.com
Lori continues:
“Even when I was facing the computer instead of her, she could hear me! It was truly amazing.
And with the convenience factor built into BeHear NOW, she can wear the headset around her neck to have the earpieces close by.
If she’s at home, she doesn’t need them in her ears, but she can easily tuck the earpieces in her hears when the phone rings or when she goes outside and sees her neighbors.
It’s a convenience she’s never had before because she doesn’t do this with her $4,000 hearing aids that most often sit in their case.
Her hearing aids are uncomfortable, so she doesn’t wear them much. And sometimes, she’ll only wear one.”
“I’m 90 years old and completely deaf in my right ear. My hearing loss in my left ear is rated as ‘moderate’ in the low frequency range and ‘severe’ in the higher frequencies, not unusual for a person my age.
When my 3-year-old Resound Hearing Aid stopped working I decided to search for a lower cost alternative. After many hours of research I zeroed in on the ‘BeHear Now’ device. Attracted by its reviews and apparent versatility, I ordered it through Amazon and received it 24 hours later.
‘BeHear Now’ is a viable and functional alternative to conventional $3000-$7000 hearing aids. It certainly is for me. – Ed Cornachio, Satisfied Customer
I read through the manual and watched each of the online tutorials. That was five days ago. Now I can honestly say it exceeds all my expectations.
Pair your headset to a smartphone and download the W&H BeHear app to set up your new hearing baseline. Hear what you want to hear!
I strongly recommend, however, that you download the W&H BeHear app and pair it with your cell phone via Bluetooth. The app allows for individual customization, adaptable to your specific hearing problem. For me, the app is more than just a convenient accessory. It’s a necessary addition to adapting to environmental differences.”
“Two weeks ago, with great satisfaction, I received my second BeHear NOW set (the first one for forgetting I left it in another city where I have not been able to return because of the restrictions of Covid-19).
I am 75 years old and about 20 using hearing aids because my current hearing loss is profound. Also, I am an electronics engineer, so I can say that I have good experience in the handling and evaluation of hearing aids from the patient’s point of view.
For example, about the last two years I have been looking, analyzing, and testing (when the few distributors allow it) various brands and ranges of hearing aids to replace my old pair that has about 7 years of use. The result is that I have not found one that meets my personal needs more than BeHear NOW. So, my honest review and conclusions about this product are as follows:
PROS
PRICE: There is a huge price difference between most conventional brands, that are above the US$3600 for a mid-range hearing aid pair, and my BeHear NOW (they cost me US$200 plus shipping costs each set).
DELIVERY TIME: 7 days in total, from the moment I placed the order and the product was ready to deliver to my door. Extraordinary, since it was sent from Israel to Bogota, Colombia, and considering the delays and problems in transport and customs generated by Covid 19 and the commercial inactivity of Easter week in my country. If I had made the purchase from a local dealer, I am sure that I had not yet received them and would not have a date of receipt, or less, of an appointment with a hearing care professional to adapt it.
Check your own hearing with the simple assessment in the W&H BeHear app.ADAPTATION: With all my respect to hearing professionals, the process of adaptation with the test-and-error method used, in my case, has been traumatic and inefficient, perhaps due to the difficulty of accurately explaining what characteristics and defects the patient perceives with a particular graduation of his hearing aids. And when you go out to “the real world”, it’s a totally different situation! So, you must request another appointment for a new review and the time is passing and patience is running out and the famous and expensive hearing aids can end up in the drawer of a desk. Very different is the adaptation and adjustment process used by the BeHear NOW because the patient hearing evaluation and device graduation is made direct and easily by the patient himself using the application installed in his smartphone, in real time, for different environments and as many times and places he wants to do them, achieving the quality that often does not reach through an audiologist, regardless of his experience. Surely, this direct method will be the trend in the next future hearing aids if there are no contrary pressures to do it.
LIVE CONVERSATIONS QUALITY: In my case, the quality and clarity of voice received directly from my BeHear NOW it´s not perfect, but does not have to envy anything to those of elegant brands. Specifically, I spent more than 10 months (all 2019) trying to get a decent understanding with my hearing aids from a famous and expensive brand, but I never got it; now they’re in the desk drawer.
AUDIO FROM SMARTPHONE: Although some brands and ranges of hearing aids can now be connected by Bluetooth with iPhone smartphones, and very few with Android, my experience with BeHear NOW has been very satisfactory. After many years, now I can have phone conversations quite successfully (until now I used only WhatsApp written) and mainly, I have again listened stereo Bluetooth music with an extraordinary richness of sounds and tones. Switching among different devices or modes is smart and smooth. Besides, using the “HearLink” I can now directly listen to the TV with superior quality than with my heavy and uncomfortable Sennheiser HD 175 “over ears” system.
DEVICE CONTROLS: I can control my BeHear directly from the headset controls, or with the app from my smartphone. Although initially it may seem uncomfortable to use the headset with cables at the back of the neck, with a week of use I easily manage the different controls, when it is not possible to use the smartphone app. Many models and brands only use one of the two control methods which is impractical as you don’t always have your phone handy or the manual controls are very confusing to use.
BUDS COMFORT: With BeHear NOW you do not need to take molds to fit each hearset to your ears. Your BeHear package contents a variety of types and sizes of “ear buds” that easily adapts to the shape of your ear giving you total safety and comfort. You will not have surprise losses, discomfort or hassles due use them for long periods.
WHAT I’D LIKE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL
REMOTE MICROPHONE: For conferences and presentations cases (and even in family or friendly meetings) it would be extremely useful to be able to use the smartphone as a remote microphone, or an external remote microphone. As I noted earlier, the quality of the audio coming from a smartphone is quite good. [Our remote microphone, called “YONA”, is already under development. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on its release. – Ed.]
EXTRA 5 DBs OUTPUT. In my case of deep loss only the “Indoor” mode is useful, with the other 3 modes I hardly hear them. Somebody from Alango Technologies Customers Service informed me that “this extra power could be implemented in some weeks” (I suppose that by some software trick). Welcome this function.
LONGER BATTERY AUTONOMY. With my BeHear the maximum battery duration is about 8 hours, which is not enough in a normal journey. That’s a pity.”
I want to thank and congratulate Alango on this extraordinary product. IT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS. – Jesus Campos M.
BeHear ACCESS Reviewed as Up-and-Coming Technology Solution for Better Hearing
♦ Following the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas earlier this year, Brian P. Dunleavy published an article for Everyday Health reviewing the latest hearing products introduced there. He asked Beth Humphrey, a doctor of audiology in the department of audiology and speech pathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Knoxville, to provide her professional opinion of each product he reviewed.
BeHear ACCESS has been named a CES 2020 Innovation Awards Honoree in two categories: “Tech for a Better World”, and “Accessibility”.
BeHear ACCESS headed the list of Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs). In addition to mentioning the product’s unique features (self-administered hearing assessment for optimum personalization, self-tuned real-time customization capability for live listening, Bluetooth connectivity for mobile calls and audio streaming, built-in Telecoil receivers for use in facilities equipped with hearing loops) Dunleavy noted that BeHear ACCESS was recognized in the CES 2020 Innovation Awards in both the Accessibility and Tech for a Better World categories.
The bottom line:
“This is a flexible PSAP with a range of connectivity options for people with difficulty listening in specific situations” – Beth Humphrey, AuD.
“I previously listened to my TV at a volume level 45, now I comfortably have it set at 17.”
The BeHear NOW + HearLink Bundle includes one headset and one assistive listening transmitter.
♦ The following are excerpts from a review posted by a customer on Amazon:
“After trying many personal hearing amplifiers with lots of disappointment, I am thrilled with this product, it exceeded my expectations.
The app which sets your frequencies is fantastic. It personalizes your hearing needs at frequencies we tend to lose as we age.
I previously listened to my TV at a volume level 45, now I comfortably have it set at 17.
Setup is a breeze, and the different modes it offers is a major plus. Indoor, outdoor, crowd, live music. I absolutely love this product and would recommend it to anyone who is having any hearing difficulties.
No more awkward “what was that” during conversations. I only wish I had discovered this 2-3 years ago. I’ve shared my experience with friends and neighbors who can not wait to get their own.”
The bottom line:
“Truly an affordable solution to hearing difficulties.”
Former Military and Current Commercial Pilot Thrilled with BeHear
November 05, 2019
“I’m hearing things I didn’t know were missing.”
BeHear NOW is an assistive hearing headset that can be personalized to match the hearing profile of the wearer.
♦ The following texts are excerpts from a review posted on Amazon by Greg K. Hoggatt, a 63-year-old former military pilot and currently a commercial international captain:
“My high frequency hearing is severely limited. An audiologist didn’t think hearing aids were warranted and suggested that I use a wax remover every couple of months.”
“I’ve tried other hearing aids from KickStarter but didn’t really see a significant difference. But the BeHear NOW is simply incredible. I’m hearing things I didn’t know were missing.”
The bottom line:
“The BeHear NOW is simply incredible. I’m amazed at the difference in my hearing.”
“No other device I have used has worked this well in being able to separate the voice from other sounds and make out what another person is clearly saying.”
“I don’t want people to believe that this is going to give you back perfect hearing, it is not. Nothing can do that. So a person has to be careful to not get false expectations. So far it has made a huge improvement for me. I probably will never wear my hearing aids again. This is so much easier to put on (wear), control, and tune and is rechargeable.”
The bottom line:
“I have to say this is a device that can dramatically improve what we have
unfortunately lost. And with a little bit of learning and patience, I think it is easy
enough for almost anyone to use.”
“You wear the earbuds and people think you are listening to music – which you may or may not be, as this setting does not require your phone even to be turned on – you just hear more. When I first tested these I had the TV on in the next room something I could not hear from that distance without the earbuds and I could hear tennis balls being hit and landing yes it was during Wimbledon…”
The bottom line:
“The App has settings for a number of situations including noisy places which for me were previously almost intolerable. These earbuds are ideal for those who wear glasses as no part of the bud touches the outside of the ear.”
I bought these after doing about a years research on assistive hearing products.
I spent too many years saying ‘huh’ to people that were talking to me.
I performed the built in hearing assessment test, saved the info and I was amazed at what I have been missing out on for so many years. I may buy another set just so I won’t have to be without them if the battery is charging.
My wife says I don’t ‘yell’ anymore when talking to her and she can talk in a normal voice and I can hear her clearly from the next room. When at a restaurant the background noise does not interfere with conversations anymore. I can also hear my grandchildren clearly!
They are very comfortable, I don’t even realize that I am wearing them other than being able to hear clearly again.
The quality seems to be very good for sound reproduction and build quality. The phone app makes it easy to set up and control all the functions on the device. I also like being able to answer my phone with a press on the neckband button, with my phone being in my pocket or next room. With the way I have my settings saved there has been no annoying sounds or surprises.
The bottom line:
“So far I am completely pleased with everything about the BeHear headset. I don’t listen to music through my phone, so I cannot address that, but for everyday conversations I am completely pleased.”
How to Know if BeHear NOW Suits Your Level of Hearing Loss
March 25, 2019
Have you invested in hearing aids, only to discover that they don’t suit you in every situation? Maybe they’re too uncomfortable to wear all day, or they don’t really help you at the theater or during a live concert? Perhaps they help amplify sound, but they don’t help you understand mobile phone conversations, or hear the dialogue on the television very clearly?
BeHear NOW provides personalized hearing enhancement in the guise of a Bluetooth stereo headset.
In these cases, you may be interested in trying BeHear NOW. This assistive hearing headset is not a medical device. Instead, it uses advanced sound processing technology, housed in a Bluetooth stereo headset, to enhance what you hear — whether it be live conversations, dialogue on the television, mobile phone calls — when you need it.
So, how do you know if a BeHear hearing amplifier would be right for you? We encourage you to try BeHear for yourself. We have a 30-day return policy, so if you’re not satisfied you simply return the product and get your money back.
What to Do Now
Go to our on-line shop and purchase a BeHear headset. Once you receive it you should go to the Google Play Store (for Android phones, version 4.4 and up) or the Apple Store (for iOS, version 9 and up) and download the free “W&H BeHear” app. You’ll use this app to pair your phone to the headset, and input the values from your audiogram (in the “Personal Info” section of the app). Once you finish, the headset will be updated automatically with custom parameters reflecting your hearing levels for the three hearing modes (ambient hearing, Bluetooth audio, and mobile phone calls). You can further customize the hearing presets (Indoor, Outdoor, Crowd and Live Music) in real-time using the app. View our library of “How to…” videos to learn how to use the headset.
If you’re still unsure…
We invite you to send us your audiogram and we will help determine if the BeHear hearing amplifier might be able to enhance your hearing.
How is this Concept Different from the Conventional Solutions?
Personalized hearing enhancement technology housed in a Bluetooth stereo headset – BeHear NOW.
Our first personal hearing product, released commercially in the Fall of 2018, is called BeHear® NOW. It is a stylish, comfortable, high-quality Bluetooth stereo neckband style headset that can be used to listen to music or make phone calls. In addition, it can be used to enhance ambient hearing, very similar to or better than hearing aids. Its retail price of $249 ( €249) makes it very attractive to a wide population.
What About Sound Quality?
BeHear NOW has four microphones, two in the earpieces and
two in the control boxes. Using four microphones enables unprecedented sound
quality for both ambient hearing and voice communication. The headset features
two 13mm hi-fi speakers delivering uncompromised sound. It includes a large
rechargeable battery allowing the wearer to use its ambient hearing
amplification during an entire day without recharging.
The Difference is in the Sound Enhancing Software
BeHear NOW can be used as a standalone hearing amplifier, but its true value comes with its software. It pairs with a dedicated, free smartphone application called W&H BeHear for iPhones and Android that enables full control and self-adjustment of the headset. When the personal hearing mode is activated, the wearer can choose the most suitable preset (Indoors, Outdoors, Crowd or Live Music). S/He can change noise reduction settings from low to maximum depending on the environment.
Fine Tune the Device on Your Own
Find the best sound for your current environment by choosing a colored square.
One of the problems with hearing aids today is that they require professional fitting in an audiologist’s office. Given the large number of people who suffer from hearing loss worldwide, it should be apparent that there are not enough audiologists on earth to provide hearing aids to everyone who needs one, especially in rural, distant areas. With BeHear NOW that is not an issue. Wearers can modify the spectrum of the sound they hear in real time by moving their finger on a grid to locate what we call the Best Sound Point. The Best Sound Point is a highly personal definition, depending on the wearer’s preferences, capabilities, and current location!
The hearing assessment in the W&H BeHear app allows the wearer to test his/her own hearing. The results are applied automatically to the headset for a truly personalized hearing experience — no matter what the situation!
Furthermore, the W&H BeHear application contains a simple hearing assessment that anyone can perform and get immediate results. This is not a medical procedure, of course, but when completed, all BeHear NOW sounds will be modified to fit the wearer’s own personal hearing profile.
Advantages That People With Normal Hearing Will Also Appreciate
BeHear NOW also includes some advanced features that may be useful for people with normal hearing as well. For example, many people have trouble with fast speech. We all prefer that the other person speak slower when we need to write down a phone number, understand a foreign language, or are otherwise being distracted. BeHear NOW can do it automatically. When BeHear NOW is used to make or take a phone call, the wearer can activate a special mode called EasyListen™ to slow down speech and improve understanding. While listening to music, the wearer can activate ListenThrough™ technology. Nearby human voices, the noise of an approaching car and other important or alarming sounds will pass through while ambient noise will be blocked, allowing him/her to enjoy the music to the fullest.
Use EasyListen on mobile calls to slow down speech and improve understanding.
Stay safe and alert, even while using your mobile phone in noisy places.
Great Potential for Improving Quality of Life
The Wear & Hear line of assistive hearing products is highly innovative, leveraging two successful concepts (consumer electronics and sound technology advancements). The resulting solutions have the potential to improve quality of life for millions of people worldwide. As Helen Keller once famously remarked, when asked which sense was more important, vision or hearing: “Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.” We want the world to sound better to all. With the aid of our personal hearing devices, people can reconnect socially, without the stigma or high cost of a medical hearing aid.
What’s Next? Feedback and Market Education
The first members of our Wear & Hear family of personal hearing devices are ready for purchase, here on our Web site, and through our international partner channel. However, the market needs educating. There are about 400 million people with disabling hearing loss who desperately need a solution, but they have no idea that there is a high-quality alternative to hearing aids. Our concept of affordable, stylish, multi-functional hearing enhancement solutions needs to capture the attention of both the hearing impaired and those who can help us bring them to market. Can you help?
This is the second installment of a 3-part series. If you haven’t yet read the first installment, you can read it here.
An Unorthodox Approach Brings Hope
Advanced hearing enhancement technology is housed in a neck loop style Bluetooth stereo headset.
The development trend for hearing aids throughout history has been to make the devices smaller and less noticeable. We, on the other hand, wanted to make our hearing enhancement devices stylish, and even fashionable. Instead of making them expensive medical devices, we wanted to make them affordable consumer electronics devices. In addition, we wanted our devices to be high performance and multi-functional. And finally, we wanted our devices to act as hearing protectors by reducing loud ambient noises to safe levels.
Consumer Electronics Can Serve a Wider Purpose
We chose a Bluetooth headset as a basic form factor for our
hearing enhancement device concept due to its ubiquity. Its cost of goods is
low and
public acceptability is high. In order to transform it into a powerful hearing
enhancement device we first investigated its existing components, and found:
This diagram of the BeHear NOW headset shows the position of all components.
At least one microphone. In
many Bluetooth headsets we can find a dual microphone, something relevant to
high end hearing aids only.
A high-quality speaker that
is much better than that of hearing aids, due to their size limitations.
A Digital Signal Processor
that is 4-5 times more powerful than that of most of hearing aids.
Bluetooth connectivity
present only in the latest, greatest and most expensive hearing aids
An environmentally friendly
rechargeable battery
The Missing Component: Hearing Enhancement Software
Alango Technologies has been developing sound enhancement technologies since 2002.
That means that there is only one important piece missing to
transform ANY Bluetooth headset into a powerful hearing enhancement device.
This piece is software. Just do it, and you have exciting news for more than 1
billion hearing impaired people world-wide. Since we are a software sound
processing company, we did it! We created a licensable software reference
design that makes it possible to add hearing enhancement functionality to
virtually any Bluetooth headset. We call our solution Hearphones™.
In order to be sure that our solution was good, and that it really could help hearing impaired people as well as or better than hearing aids, we decided to go one step further. We decided to create our own brand of concept products that we call Wear & Hear, with our slogan “Life Sounds Better”.
How Does this Approach Compare to Conventional Solutions?
In the next post in this “Hearing Better is Now Within Reach” blog series, we’ll compare this unorthodox approach with the conventional solutions.
The Need, the Conventional Solution, and the Despair
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 15% of the world’s population (that’s around 1.2 billion people!) suffers from hearing loss of greater than 25 decibels. Even though hearing loss is typically associated with old age, the majority of sufferers are under the age of 65. It is well known that hearing loss is a terrible experience for an individual and has multiple consequences. Children with hearing loss are likely to experience delayed speech development, impaired communication and reduced cognitive skills. In adults, hearing loss has been linked to poorer job performance and, as a result, lower salaries. In the elderly, hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of dementia, falls, depression, social isolation and loneliness. These problems impose a heavy financial burden on the society.
Approximately 15% of the world population suffers from hearing loss of 25dB or more, yet less than 5% use hearing aids, the conventional solution.
There is good news, though. Research shows that 95% of
hearing impaired people can be helped by hearing amplification. The solution
that jumps to mind immediately is hearing aids. Hearing aids have a long
history: from hearing trumpets used over 100 years ago, through the development
of the first wearable electronic devices, to the modern era of small, digital
devices of various styles. Yet, hearing aids are used by less than 20% of
hearing impaired people in developed countries, and less than 3% in low income
countries. Why?
Why Aren’t More People Using Hearing Aids?
Extremely high cost.
A pair of hearing aids costs between $2000-$8000 dollars. Unless it is fully
covered by insurance, it is not surprising that most people hesitate before
buying them.
Social stigma.
Justified or not, people feel that wearing hearing aids will make them look
older or handicapped. It is interesting that this feeling does not actually
depend on the age. Many elderly people refuse to wear hearing aids. We all want
to be young.
Limited functionality.
We’re used to multi-functional electronic devices that can do much more than
just their main functionality. Smartphones are a classic example, but we have
others, such as: radios, smartwatches or fitness bracelets. Basic, reasonably
priced hearing aids can only do voice amplification.
Performance. 20% of
people who buy hearing aids return them.
Although they are badly needed, these devices don’t help them. 17% of
those who decide to keep their hearing aids are not satisfied.
What Can Be Done to Surmount These Obstacles to Better Hearing?
In the next post in this “Hearing Better is Now Within Reach” blog series, we’ll look at an unorthodox approach that addresses all four of these obstacles to bring hope to those experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss.
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♦ The following are excerpts from a review posted by a customer on Amazon:
♦ The following is a review posted by a reviewer on GadgetSpeak:
