Interview with John Cariola, Au.D., Director of Product Management, Beltone
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Topic: Beltone True™ Hearing Instrument Family
CAROLYN SMAKA: This is Carolyn Smaka from AudiologyOnline, and, today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. John Cariola from Beltone. John, welcome back to AudiologyOnline.
Our topic today is a new product line called the Beltone True™. John, tell us about your role at Beltone, and then we can talk about Beltone True™.
John Cariola, Au.D.
CARIOLA: Thank you. I'm glad to be here. I am the Director of Product Management for Beltone.
True® is our latest family of digital instruments. It includes three technology levels: Beltone True 17™, Beltone True 9™, and Beltone True 6™. The numbers correspond to the number of channels in the instrument. The Beltone True 17™ is the most feature-rich of the three circuits and includes some exciting new features like Beltone's Spatial Directionality. All three levels offer wireless functionality. Our wireless accessories are the first in the industry where the patient does not have to wear a medallion or relay device. The signal is sent directly to the hearing instrument.
SMAKA: What is the advantage of not having a relay or medallion device?
CARIOLA: It gives the patient more freedom. They do not have a 2-piece system that requires a relay device to be worn around their neck. It also simplifies fitting because True can also be programmed wirelessly without cables or intermediary device.
SMAKA: What exact wireless capabilities does the Beltone True™ family have?
CARIOLA: The Beltone True™ family of products, all three technology levels, has wireless functionality.
Beltone Direct Line, wireless accessories for the Beltone True™
The first accessory is called the TV Link that is connected to a TV or any audio source, like an iPod or MP3 player, and then that audio signal is sent directly to the hearing instruments. The TV Link itself is a small device. It is roughly 3 1/2" by 3 1/4" and about 3/4" high, and again there's no other medallion or anything else that the patient has to wear.
We're able to transmit the signal directly to the hearing aids because we are using a 2.4 GHz signal, whereas other manufacturers right now are using near field induction. This really gives us some advantages. Not only are we able to send the signal directly to the instruments, the 2.4 GHz signal has a faster transmission time and travels longer distances as well.
SMAKA: What is the distance?
CARIOLA: The patient can be about 20 feet away from the TV Link device. In some cases, the transmission distance is even farther, for example, we've had patients tell us they've been able to walk around their whole house and still pick up the signal. So, it may vary depending on the location, but we know the distance will be at least 20 feet from the TV Link.
The patient's hearing instruments can be linked to up to three TV Links;therefore, the patient can have three different TVs or audio devices with wireless streaming in their home. Also, the TV Link can stream audio to multiple hearing instruments. For example, if a TV Link was connected to the TV in the common room of a nursing home dozens of residents could hear the audio through their True instruments.
SMAKA: This is great for spouses who both wear hearing aids and watch TV together. Now, you mentioned there were three wireless applications. What are the other two?
CARIOLA: The second accessory is the Phone Link. This links the True to the patient's Bluetooth cell phone or a land line with blue-tooth functionality. The patient's cell phone is linked to this small device that the patient clips on their shirt, blouse or jacket which also acts as their hands-free microphone. The signal goes from the phone to the Phone Link, and then, from the Phone Link straight into both hearing aids. This is helpful because getting the phone signal transmitted binaurally makes a significant difference in terms of intelligibility and sound quality.
You can also use the Phone Link with a landline by plugging the landline into a Bluetooth transmitter. When the phone rings, the patient will hear the ring in the hearing instruments. Pressing a button on the Phone Link connects the hearing instruments to the phone. To hang up, the patient just presses the same button and that's it.
The third patient accessory is a remote control for changing the program, adjusting the volume, or turning on the TV Link. It can control both instruments at a time or the patient can adjust each ear individually. There is a screen display to show what program is active as well as the volume level. The remote control was designed to very easy to use, even for our older patients.
The TV Link, Phone Link and remote control accessories can be purchased as a package, for instance we have a TV solution that includes the remote control and a TV Link, or you can order a la carte. We know that each patient's needs are different, and so we offer flexibility in terms of what the professional can order for each patient.
We also have wireless programming with the Beltone True™. It is a small USB memory stick size device that plugs into the hearing professional's computer and programs the instruments directly, with no medallion or cables. The person being fit with the instruments can move freely around the office.
SMAKA: That keeps it very simple for the professional.
CARIOLA: Yes, most people will be happy that they do not need to worry about dealing with programming cables.
SMAKA: You also mentioned that Beltone True™ has some new directivity features. Can you tell us about those?
CARIOLA: The last product we released was called Reach™, which has Monitor Directionality, where one instrument is directional and the other is omni-directional. This allows the wearer to monitor what's going on all around them including behind and to the sides, but still give them directionality towards the front. This helps the wearer be more aware of what's going on in their surroundings.
With the Beltone True 17™, we updated the logic and created what we call Spatial Directionality. One side is omni-directional again;however, the other side is omni in the low frequencies and directional in the high frequencies. This provides a bass boost so that we do not have a reduction in low frequency gain. It helps provide a richer sound quality. The patients can monitor what's going on around them and still focus on signals coming from the front.
It is designed to be more transparent to the wearer. When we did studies, patients preferred this combination to the other options such as fully-directional or omni-only. It allows the brain to pick up and determine what it wants to listen to in the environment. Patients keep in touch with what's going on around and in back of them while still having a directional advantages.
We're pretty excited about it because the results have been very positive with patients.
SMAKA: What else differentiates the three technology levels, besides channels and Spatial Directionality?
CARIOLA:.
The Beltone True 17™ has a feature called Feedback Eraser™. With this, you have five settings, starting with a very aggressive option called Whistle Stop where feedback won't occur at all, even if you cup your hand around the device. The other settings adjust the feature sensitivity for patients without serious feedback issues. As a fitter, you can select different feedback options for different programs.
The main difference, besides the number of channels in the circuit is how much adjustability you have for the different features or how many settings are offered. Obviously, Beltone True 17™ would have the most adjustability, followed by the Beltone True 9™ and then the Beltone True 6™.
For example, we have a feature called Smart Gain™, which is an environmental classifier in the instrument that determines the sound environment a patient is in. When the wearer enters a new environment, it automatically adjusts the gain and frequency response based on the sounds of that environment. The Beltone True 17™ monitors seven different sound environments, True™ 9 monitors four, and Beltone True 6™ doesn't have this feature.
Smart Gain is an environmental classifier that automatically adjusts the instrument's gain and frequency response according to the sound environment.
SMAKA: What styles will the Beltone True™ be available in?
CARIOLA: Beltone released two True receiver-in-the-ear models in August.
The first model uses a 10A battery and is extremely thin and small. It is the smallest receiver in the ear available on the market today. However, because of its small size, it does not have wireless functionality.
The second product is our 312 receiver in-the-ear product, the 63DW. It is not that much bigger than the 10A product, only slightly to accommodate the radio antenna. This is the smallest wireless RIE in the market.
Later in the year we will release additions to the Beltone True™ product line including the microphone-in-concha custom style instrument first introduced in the Beltone Touch™. This is a CIC or canal instrument where the microphone is taken out of the instrument and connected to a wire that places the microphone in the patient's helix area. This reduces wind noise and takes advantage of outer ear resonance.
Beltone Mic-in-Concha instruments
In 2011, we'll have a complete custom line, a standard BTE and power BTE, and one more receiver in-the-ear product that has a volume control and push-button.
SMAKA: You mentioned the Beltone True 10A™ receiver-in-canal style. Is that a new design for Beltone or one of your existing housings?
CARIOLA: It is a completely new case design. New cases are exciting because it differentiates the new product from what we've in the past. This can help when upgrading some patients that have had their hearing aids for several years. They may be excited to see a new design that not only looks great, but looks different than what they've already been wearing.
We know our patients still place a lot of importance on cosmetics. Receiver-in-the-ear products have helped tremendously in that area because they look so great on the ear. The fact that, today, many people wear Bluetooth earpieces for their cell phones, which are much larger than hearing aids, have also helped in acceptance of wearing devices on the ear. Still, when we do our surveys and our focus groups studies most patients tell us that they still don't want anyone to know they're wearing hearing aids, and the smaller, the better. It also helps to have a variety of colors to match hair and skin.
In some of our focus group studies, we found that if you show a patient a really small receiver-in-the-ear instrument in your hand and tell them that it is going to go over their ear, the patient may still have reservations. If instead, you wear it while you talk to them and then take it off and show them, they are often surprised they couldn't tell you were wearing it. All of a sudden, they think it is small, and you've helped them with the acceptance.
It just illustrates that how you present these products to the patients makes a difference. Even though we wish there wasn't the stigma issue, it still is out there.
SMAKA: John, what are some of the other highlights of the Beltone True™ that we haven't touched on?
CARIOLA: One new product improvement that we recently introduced and is include with Beltone True™ is our new protective;HPF80 NanoBlock.
SMAKA: HPF? Is that kind of like SPF for sun protection?
CARIOLA: Yes, with an H it's 'hearing instrument protection factor'. Using nanotechnology and state of the art coating machinery the entire instrument is applied with HPF80 Nanoblock. All internal and external parts of the instrument are coated. The coating is about 1/1000 of the thickness of a hair, so, it's able to go into every nook and cranny of the instrument. The end result is protection of all the components from moisture and perspiration.
This technology is used by companies such as Adidas and Apple to protect their products. We introduced it on our Reach™, Identity™, and Change™ products, and it has been working quite well. All True instruments come with HPF80 Nanoblock.
Another new release with the Beltone True™ is our latest fitting software;SolusPro™. It is designed to optimize features such as wireless technology, linking to the Internet, and patient interaction. SolusPro™ will be used from True® onward, and our previous fitting software, Solus, will continue to be used with previously released instruments. Solus Pro continues to use our proprietary Beltone Adaptive Fitting Algorithm (BAFA) to set the frequency response and gain settings. Our choice of compression settings provides our characteristic "Beltone Sound".
Our software has always been designed to enhance the patient's fitting experience. It was developed with the geriatric population in mind in terms of the font colors and the font size so they can better see the screen and graphics. For example, it allows the audiogram to be enlarged to show overlays such as the articulation index, loudness of common sounds, hearing loss range, and comparisons between prior audiograms. It's geared to bring patients an understanding of the fitting process. Our software has always been patient friendly, and it's even more so SolusPro™.
Even with the new features and enhancements, the SolusPro™ software is quite easy to learn. We did extensive testing in the field with our Network so the design is optimal for fitting hearing instruments. We will offer training to educate everyone on the changes.
SMAKA: Sounds great. John, I heard Beltone had a large conference recently.
CARIOLA: Yes. This is truly a special year for Beltone as we celebrate our 70th anniversary! The highlight of the meeting was the introduction of Beltone's newest addition to its product portfolio, Beltone True™. We had many training sessions on the product, features, software, and the wireless accessories.
The company started in Chicago, so that's where we held the conference. It was very exciting to have Chicago's Mayor attend the meeting as well as other celebrities send their congratulations to Beltone via video messages.
The meeting was very well attended, with nearly 1,000 people from all around the globe. We had about 300 international attendees from Europe, Japan, and Canada. It is helpful for everyone to gather from around the world and discuss marketing, sales, and the new product.
SMAKA: It is amazing to think that Beltone has been around for 70 years.
CARIOLA: Beltone was responsible for the very first one-piece hearing instrument. It was big with a battery pack that you'd strap on your leg or elsewhere on your body. Then, we had one of the first behind the ear models, and we've grown from there.
SMAKA: John, thank you so much for all your time and wishing you much success with True®.
For more information about True® and Beltone's other products and services, please visit www.beltone.com or the Beltone Web Channel on AudiologyOnline.
Our topic today is a new product line called the Beltone True™. John, tell us about your role at Beltone, and then we can talk about Beltone True™.
John Cariola, Au.D.
CARIOLA: Thank you. I'm glad to be here. I am the Director of Product Management for Beltone.
True® is our latest family of digital instruments. It includes three technology levels: Beltone True 17™, Beltone True 9™, and Beltone True 6™. The numbers correspond to the number of channels in the instrument. The Beltone True 17™ is the most feature-rich of the three circuits and includes some exciting new features like Beltone's Spatial Directionality. All three levels offer wireless functionality. Our wireless accessories are the first in the industry where the patient does not have to wear a medallion or relay device. The signal is sent directly to the hearing instrument.
SMAKA: What is the advantage of not having a relay or medallion device?
CARIOLA: It gives the patient more freedom. They do not have a 2-piece system that requires a relay device to be worn around their neck. It also simplifies fitting because True can also be programmed wirelessly without cables or intermediary device.
SMAKA: What exact wireless capabilities does the Beltone True™ family have?
CARIOLA: The Beltone True™ family of products, all three technology levels, has wireless functionality.
Beltone Direct Line, wireless accessories for the Beltone True™
The first accessory is called the TV Link that is connected to a TV or any audio source, like an iPod or MP3 player, and then that audio signal is sent directly to the hearing instruments. The TV Link itself is a small device. It is roughly 3 1/2" by 3 1/4" and about 3/4" high, and again there's no other medallion or anything else that the patient has to wear.
We're able to transmit the signal directly to the hearing aids because we are using a 2.4 GHz signal, whereas other manufacturers right now are using near field induction. This really gives us some advantages. Not only are we able to send the signal directly to the instruments, the 2.4 GHz signal has a faster transmission time and travels longer distances as well.
SMAKA: What is the distance?
CARIOLA: The patient can be about 20 feet away from the TV Link device. In some cases, the transmission distance is even farther, for example, we've had patients tell us they've been able to walk around their whole house and still pick up the signal. So, it may vary depending on the location, but we know the distance will be at least 20 feet from the TV Link.
The patient's hearing instruments can be linked to up to three TV Links;therefore, the patient can have three different TVs or audio devices with wireless streaming in their home. Also, the TV Link can stream audio to multiple hearing instruments. For example, if a TV Link was connected to the TV in the common room of a nursing home dozens of residents could hear the audio through their True instruments.
SMAKA: This is great for spouses who both wear hearing aids and watch TV together. Now, you mentioned there were three wireless applications. What are the other two?
CARIOLA: The second accessory is the Phone Link. This links the True to the patient's Bluetooth cell phone or a land line with blue-tooth functionality. The patient's cell phone is linked to this small device that the patient clips on their shirt, blouse or jacket which also acts as their hands-free microphone. The signal goes from the phone to the Phone Link, and then, from the Phone Link straight into both hearing aids. This is helpful because getting the phone signal transmitted binaurally makes a significant difference in terms of intelligibility and sound quality.
You can also use the Phone Link with a landline by plugging the landline into a Bluetooth transmitter. When the phone rings, the patient will hear the ring in the hearing instruments. Pressing a button on the Phone Link connects the hearing instruments to the phone. To hang up, the patient just presses the same button and that's it.
The third patient accessory is a remote control for changing the program, adjusting the volume, or turning on the TV Link. It can control both instruments at a time or the patient can adjust each ear individually. There is a screen display to show what program is active as well as the volume level. The remote control was designed to very easy to use, even for our older patients.
The TV Link, Phone Link and remote control accessories can be purchased as a package, for instance we have a TV solution that includes the remote control and a TV Link, or you can order a la carte. We know that each patient's needs are different, and so we offer flexibility in terms of what the professional can order for each patient.
We also have wireless programming with the Beltone True™. It is a small USB memory stick size device that plugs into the hearing professional's computer and programs the instruments directly, with no medallion or cables. The person being fit with the instruments can move freely around the office.
SMAKA: That keeps it very simple for the professional.
CARIOLA: Yes, most people will be happy that they do not need to worry about dealing with programming cables.
SMAKA: You also mentioned that Beltone True™ has some new directivity features. Can you tell us about those?
CARIOLA: The last product we released was called Reach™, which has Monitor Directionality, where one instrument is directional and the other is omni-directional. This allows the wearer to monitor what's going on all around them including behind and to the sides, but still give them directionality towards the front. This helps the wearer be more aware of what's going on in their surroundings.
With the Beltone True 17™, we updated the logic and created what we call Spatial Directionality. One side is omni-directional again;however, the other side is omni in the low frequencies and directional in the high frequencies. This provides a bass boost so that we do not have a reduction in low frequency gain. It helps provide a richer sound quality. The patients can monitor what's going on around them and still focus on signals coming from the front.
It is designed to be more transparent to the wearer. When we did studies, patients preferred this combination to the other options such as fully-directional or omni-only. It allows the brain to pick up and determine what it wants to listen to in the environment. Patients keep in touch with what's going on around and in back of them while still having a directional advantages.
We're pretty excited about it because the results have been very positive with patients.
SMAKA: What else differentiates the three technology levels, besides channels and Spatial Directionality?
CARIOLA:.
The Beltone True 17™ has a feature called Feedback Eraser™. With this, you have five settings, starting with a very aggressive option called Whistle Stop where feedback won't occur at all, even if you cup your hand around the device. The other settings adjust the feature sensitivity for patients without serious feedback issues. As a fitter, you can select different feedback options for different programs.
The main difference, besides the number of channels in the circuit is how much adjustability you have for the different features or how many settings are offered. Obviously, Beltone True 17™ would have the most adjustability, followed by the Beltone True 9™ and then the Beltone True 6™.
For example, we have a feature called Smart Gain™, which is an environmental classifier in the instrument that determines the sound environment a patient is in. When the wearer enters a new environment, it automatically adjusts the gain and frequency response based on the sounds of that environment. The Beltone True 17™ monitors seven different sound environments, True™ 9 monitors four, and Beltone True 6™ doesn't have this feature.
Smart Gain is an environmental classifier that automatically adjusts the instrument's gain and frequency response according to the sound environment.
SMAKA: What styles will the Beltone True™ be available in?
CARIOLA: Beltone released two True receiver-in-the-ear models in August.
The first model uses a 10A battery and is extremely thin and small. It is the smallest receiver in the ear available on the market today. However, because of its small size, it does not have wireless functionality.
The second product is our 312 receiver in-the-ear product, the 63DW. It is not that much bigger than the 10A product, only slightly to accommodate the radio antenna. This is the smallest wireless RIE in the market.
Later in the year we will release additions to the Beltone True™ product line including the microphone-in-concha custom style instrument first introduced in the Beltone Touch™. This is a CIC or canal instrument where the microphone is taken out of the instrument and connected to a wire that places the microphone in the patient's helix area. This reduces wind noise and takes advantage of outer ear resonance.
Beltone Mic-in-Concha instruments
In 2011, we'll have a complete custom line, a standard BTE and power BTE, and one more receiver in-the-ear product that has a volume control and push-button.
SMAKA: You mentioned the Beltone True 10A™ receiver-in-canal style. Is that a new design for Beltone or one of your existing housings?
CARIOLA: It is a completely new case design. New cases are exciting because it differentiates the new product from what we've in the past. This can help when upgrading some patients that have had their hearing aids for several years. They may be excited to see a new design that not only looks great, but looks different than what they've already been wearing.
We know our patients still place a lot of importance on cosmetics. Receiver-in-the-ear products have helped tremendously in that area because they look so great on the ear. The fact that, today, many people wear Bluetooth earpieces for their cell phones, which are much larger than hearing aids, have also helped in acceptance of wearing devices on the ear. Still, when we do our surveys and our focus groups studies most patients tell us that they still don't want anyone to know they're wearing hearing aids, and the smaller, the better. It also helps to have a variety of colors to match hair and skin.
In some of our focus group studies, we found that if you show a patient a really small receiver-in-the-ear instrument in your hand and tell them that it is going to go over their ear, the patient may still have reservations. If instead, you wear it while you talk to them and then take it off and show them, they are often surprised they couldn't tell you were wearing it. All of a sudden, they think it is small, and you've helped them with the acceptance.
It just illustrates that how you present these products to the patients makes a difference. Even though we wish there wasn't the stigma issue, it still is out there.
SMAKA: John, what are some of the other highlights of the Beltone True™ that we haven't touched on?
CARIOLA: One new product improvement that we recently introduced and is include with Beltone True™ is our new protective;HPF80 NanoBlock.
SMAKA: HPF? Is that kind of like SPF for sun protection?
CARIOLA: Yes, with an H it's 'hearing instrument protection factor'. Using nanotechnology and state of the art coating machinery the entire instrument is applied with HPF80 Nanoblock. All internal and external parts of the instrument are coated. The coating is about 1/1000 of the thickness of a hair, so, it's able to go into every nook and cranny of the instrument. The end result is protection of all the components from moisture and perspiration.
This technology is used by companies such as Adidas and Apple to protect their products. We introduced it on our Reach™, Identity™, and Change™ products, and it has been working quite well. All True instruments come with HPF80 Nanoblock.
Another new release with the Beltone True™ is our latest fitting software;SolusPro™. It is designed to optimize features such as wireless technology, linking to the Internet, and patient interaction. SolusPro™ will be used from True® onward, and our previous fitting software, Solus, will continue to be used with previously released instruments. Solus Pro continues to use our proprietary Beltone Adaptive Fitting Algorithm (BAFA) to set the frequency response and gain settings. Our choice of compression settings provides our characteristic "Beltone Sound".
Our software has always been designed to enhance the patient's fitting experience. It was developed with the geriatric population in mind in terms of the font colors and the font size so they can better see the screen and graphics. For example, it allows the audiogram to be enlarged to show overlays such as the articulation index, loudness of common sounds, hearing loss range, and comparisons between prior audiograms. It's geared to bring patients an understanding of the fitting process. Our software has always been patient friendly, and it's even more so SolusPro™.
Even with the new features and enhancements, the SolusPro™ software is quite easy to learn. We did extensive testing in the field with our Network so the design is optimal for fitting hearing instruments. We will offer training to educate everyone on the changes.
SMAKA: Sounds great. John, I heard Beltone had a large conference recently.
CARIOLA: Yes. This is truly a special year for Beltone as we celebrate our 70th anniversary! The highlight of the meeting was the introduction of Beltone's newest addition to its product portfolio, Beltone True™. We had many training sessions on the product, features, software, and the wireless accessories.
The company started in Chicago, so that's where we held the conference. It was very exciting to have Chicago's Mayor attend the meeting as well as other celebrities send their congratulations to Beltone via video messages.
The meeting was very well attended, with nearly 1,000 people from all around the globe. We had about 300 international attendees from Europe, Japan, and Canada. It is helpful for everyone to gather from around the world and discuss marketing, sales, and the new product.
SMAKA: It is amazing to think that Beltone has been around for 70 years.
CARIOLA: Beltone was responsible for the very first one-piece hearing instrument. It was big with a battery pack that you'd strap on your leg or elsewhere on your body. Then, we had one of the first behind the ear models, and we've grown from there.
SMAKA: John, thank you so much for all your time and wishing you much success with True®.
For more information about True® and Beltone's other products and services, please visit www.beltone.com or the Beltone Web Channel on AudiologyOnline.
