14/10/2014 | 07:00 CEST | Company announcement
Stäfa (Switzerland), 14 October 2014 – Sonova Holding AG, the world’s leading provider of hearing solutions, today holds its third annual Investor & Analyst Day at its headquarter in Stäfa, Switzerland. With more than 100 participants expected to attend, the event once again draws significant interest from the international investor community. The focus of this year’s event is on Sonova’s innovations in the area of technology, products, distribution and marketing. The highlight of the day is the unveiling of the new Phonak Venture product and technology platform, which will be presented for the first time to a broader professional audience at the EUHA congress starting in Hannover, Germany, tomorrow.
“The new dual-core chip platform presented today is the result of many years of development work and provides the foundation for further substantial innovative hearing solutions from all of Sonova’s product brands”, says Lukas Braunschweiler, CEO of Sonova. “With Audéo Venture Phonak launches the first product family that takes advantage of the new possibilities offered by this platform. At today’s Investor- & Analyst Day we will also provide additional insight on how the Sonova Group is further driving growth through innovative approaches to marketing and distribution.”
The annual Sonova Investor & Analyst Day is held for the third time this year. At the event, a particular emphasis will be on the products and solutions to be showcased by Phonak at EUHA. At this year’s congress Unitron will also present its recently introduced products. Among the highlights of both brands are:
Phonak
Phonak has developed the next generation Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) hearing aid family: Phonak Audéo V, powered by a new chip technology that offers twice the processing power while reducing battery consumption up to 30%. Audéo V is the first product family available on the new Venture platform and runs on the AutoSense OS operating system, the “central brain” of the new Phonak hearing aids. It captures and analyzes incoming sound and can draw on over 200 settings to match the sound environment exactly and to seamlessly provide the best setting for any given environment – all without requiring any manual interaction.
The Phonak Audéo V RIC hearing aid family is available in four newly designed modern and appealing styles, all wireless, at four performance levels. All Phonak Audéo V RICs come with the Binaural VoiceStream Technology and push-button control. The re-designed housings are reinforced with high-tech composite materials for extra durability.
The Wireless Communication Portfolio keeps Phonak Audéo V hearing aid users connected. It has been further enhanced by a number of newly introduced products. These include Phonak EasyCall which connects any Phonak wireless hearing aid to any Bluetooth enabled cell phone – even non-smartphones and older models. Permanently attached to the back of the phone, it streams the conversation directly to both hearing aids in unmatched sound quality. The Phonak ComPilot Air II, a handy clip-on streamer and remote control, allows for easy control of all Bluetooth-enabled audio devices such as cell phones, TVs, tablets and computers. Its neckloop-free design and stereo sound quality turn the streamer into the perfect companion for every multimedia user who wears a Phonak hearing aid.
The Phonak RemoteControl App turns any smartphone into an advanced remote control for Phonak Venture hearing aids. In combination with Phonak ComPilot Air II or ComPilot II, the App enables direct selection of hearing programs, audio sources or the listening situation as well as individual left or right volume control.
Unitron
Unitron is releasing expanded functionality in its industry-first Flex business solution. With Flex:tracker clinicians are now able to easily and efficiently track hearing aid trials within Unitron TrueFit fitting software. Flex:trial allows hearing healthcare professionals to send home patients with free trial hearing instruments, so they can experience the recommended amplification in their own environments. For patients already wearing Unitron hearing instruments, Flex:upgrade permits instant in-clinic technology upgrades as hearing needs change. A recent global independent study of the clinical and business impacts of Flex validates the program’s benefits, with a compelling majority of Unitron’s customer participants reporting an improved patient experience, reduced returns, faster acceptance and, ultimately, an increase in hearing instrument purchases, often at a higher technology level.
In addition, Unitron is expanding its product line on the Era platform to now include affordable hearing instruments in the basic segment. The Shine Rev line-up includes a full range of BTE and custom styles, including options for severe hearing losses. The Shine Rev line-up is ideal for the global market not only for its affordability, but its regionally sensitive fitting defaults. It brings together an exceptional feature set and puts these technologies and the resulting patient benefits within everyone’s reach.
Finally, Unitron will showcase a number of software innovations to support hearing healthcare professionals in delivering optimal patient experience in their practice. This includes the release of uHear v2.0, an iPhone/iPod based app that allows for in-home hearing evaluation. This is the next generation of Unitron’s original uHear app which is the most widely downloaded and used hearing test ever. The company is also adding patient view screens to its Unitron TrueFit fitting software. These screens are designed to enhance the patient experience during the fitting process by providing easy to understand information and instructions.
The slides of the presentation are available on the Sonova website on October 14, 2014 starting at 11.30am CET.
To access the presentations, please visit http://www.sonova.com/en/investors/presentations.
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