Las Vegas, NV, HIMSS18 – March 5, 2018 – Phonak, the leading global provider of hearing instruments and wireless communication solutions, will provide HIMSS18 attendees with hands-on demonstrations of the Audéo™ B-Direct, the first hearing aid that directly connects to any Bluetooth®-enabled cell phone, at the Samsung Healthcare Lounge, Room 606-Level 1 at the Sands Expo. Audéo B-Direct serves as a model for how to break down long-standing barriers to accessibility and connectivity as the healthcare industry embraces the Internet of Things (IoT) trend.
Attendees will experience how Phonak innovations work with Samsung Galaxy smartphones to enable truly hands-free voice calling, in-stereo media streaming and the latest in hearing aid artificial intelligence. With Audéo B-Direct, hearing aid wearers can answer or reject a phone call by simply pressing a button on their hearing aid. A plug and play adapter for smart TVs or tablets transforms a pair of the hearing aids into wireless headphones, providing an immersive audio experience.
“Phonak is driven to create hearing solutions that are life-changing, and the fact that the Audéo B-Direct hearing aid does not limit users to certain devices or operating systems reflects that commitment,” said Barb VanSomeren, Vice President of Marketing, Phonak U.S. “Our proprietary SWORD chip enables universal connectivity to virtually any phone—including the most popular Samsung devices. This represents a huge segment of the population and is why we feel the Audéo B-Direct is not just a game changer for the hearing aid device market, but for the entire healthcare industry.”
The Audéo B-Direct hearing aid addresses a critical need for a majority of consumers. 77 percent of all people in the U.S. own a smartphone. 66 percent are Android OS users, and 33 percent are iPhone owners. Phonak’s unique “Made for All” technology also ensures that 97 percent of 50-64-year olds, and the nearly half of wearers over 70 who still use a classic cell phone, can directly connect to their phones.
Audéo B-Direct automatically senses a wearer’s surroundings and immediately makes adjustments that enable effortless conversations in noisy environments. It features Phonak’s latest version of AutoSense OS™ automatic operating system. More than just built-in artificial intelligence, it is the brain that guides the signal processing to offer the optimal hearing performance in any environment.
About Phonak
In 2017, Phonak, a member of the Sonova Group, proudly celebrated its 70th anniversary.
Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak was born in 1947 out of a passion for taking on the most difficult hearing challenges. Seventy years later, this passion remains. As the industry’s leading provider, we offer the broadest portfolio of life-changing hearing solutions. From pediatric to profound hearing loss, we remain committed to creating hearing solutions that change people’s lives to thrive socially and emotionally. We believe in creating a world where ‘Life is on’ for everyone.
