GN Store Nord has developed a hearing aid that works with the Apple iPhone. The ReSound Linx functions much like a Bluetooth earpiece, operating at 2.4 GHz with reduced power consumption and will eliminate the need for an intermediary device.
Based in Ballerup, Denmark, GN Store Nord A/S was founded in 1869 as the Great Northern Telegraph Company. The company evolved from that to submarine coaxial cable, then to mobile telephone technology. GN started dealing with hearing aid technology in 1977 when it acquired Danavox, a manufacturer of hearing aids. Subsidiaries include GN Netcom, which makes Jabra headsets for phones; GN Otometrics makes audio diagnostic equipment and GN ReSound, which makes hearing aids like the LiNX.
Customers use the LiNX like any other hearing aid for listening to regular sounds like conversations and background noise, but what makes the device stand out is how it can be used with a smartphone. According to AT&T’s wireless site, “some digital phones can cause interference for hearing aid users.” You can’t just put a phone up to your ear if you have a hearing aid and automatically expect it to work like it does for someone with no hearing aid.
What hearing aid users have often had to do is use an intermediary device that receives audio from a phone, which in turn transmits it to the hearing aid. With LiNX’ 2.4 Ghz support and compatibility with the iPhone, there is no need for such a device. This lets LiNX users not only hear people on the phone, but also music and streaming audio.
LiNX has also been designed so that it uses less power compared to a Bluetooth device that regularly transmits and receives signals to other devices. Users can get the Resound LiNX on a limited basis at the end of 2013; it will be available globally in the first quarter of 2014.
The potential for LiNX’ success in the hearing aid market is pretty huge. According to Reuters, the hearing aid industry is about $15 billion. About 360 million people have hearing loss significant enough to limit day-to-day functionality. What would open up the market for LiNX even more would be to add support for Android devices. There are more of them and they are usually more affordable than the iPhone, something that will appeal to hearing impaired users who already have to pay a premium to hear sounds that most of us take for granted.
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker
