Dear Phonak: Things I Would Like To See...

Dear Phonak.. Here are some things I would like to see...

1) better designed cases
- for example, the case for the mypilot has a huge clip that can't be removed. Its a pain to get the mypilot in and out, but theres no hole for the charger, so it has to be removed every few days. The case doubles the width of the mypilot because of the clip. For these reasons, I dont use it and risk breaking my mypilot!
- another example, my smartlink case is only big enough for the actual unit, and cannot fit the lanyard or auxillary input part of the smartlink, both of which i use a lot and need the case to fit!!
2) a 'hold' switch on my smartlink (like on ipods)
- a hold switch would keep my professors from accidentally hitting buttons on my fm and switching it's settings. It would also keep it from turning on accidentally in my purse. It would also mean that when my prof doesn't speak for a while (eg on break) the smartlink won't turn off (forcing me to disrupt the class to tell the prof that my FM has turned itself off.. happens once a week at least!)
3) FM recievers in the same colors as the HAs come in (do i really need to explain this!?!)
4) ability to switch programs with the iCom ON (eg from iCom-only to iCom+M). Currently we can only have 1 or the other and it has to be switched through our audies.
5) colored earhooks (cause wouldn't that just be AWESOME!?!)
6) a FULLY WATERPROOF hearing aid that I can wear swimming
7) the ability for mypilot to actually detect the battery level, not just tell me 'full' or 'low' (which btw, only tells me low once my HA has beeped at my.. so i consider the feature to be useless).
8) ability to adjust the volumes of FM and M portions of FM+M on the mypilot (eg ability to turn UP a quiet FM speaker or turn DOWN a loud FM speaker without missing out on the M portion; or turn up the M portion when i want to hear what my friend has to say)
9) not sell the TV Pack as a "TV Pack".. it uses bluetooth technology.. bluetooth has a sound delay.. i means the audio we hear through your 'tv pack' does not match up with the lips on the TV!!!! perhaps selling it as a 'Music Pack' would be more appropriate.

I'm sure I/others will think of more!!!
*EQL*

Maybe you can paste that same message directly to them as well at their website? These manufacturers seem to need to listen to feedback but a lot of times people just suffer in silence never saying what is wrong.

5) colored earhooks (cause wouldn't that just be AWESOME!?!)

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It WOULD!!!!

colored tubing would be nice too

evil_queen_lisa said:

2) a 'hold' switch on my smartlink (like on ipods)
- a hold switch would keep my professors from accidentally hitting buttons on my fm and switching it's settings. It would also keep it from turning on accidentally in my purse. It would also mean that when my prof doesn't speak for a while (eg on break) the smartlink won't turn off (forcing me to disrupt the class to tell the prof that my FM has turned itself off.. happens once a week at least!)

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My smartlink can be locked so that the buttons can't be changed unintentionally, it will explain how in your smartlink manual. However, I agree that it's a pain that the thing switches itself off if the person with the transmitter stops talking for a while. I find this especially annoying when I use it with a phone and the person on the other end puts you on hold. When they come back you don't even know!

Hello EQL.

Thank you for your comments regarding your hearing aids and FM. Phonak is always very interested in getting feedback from people who use our products. I should let you know that I too have a hearing loss. I wear a Cochlear Implant on one ear and a Naida V UP on the other ear. In addition, I also use a SmartLink FM system with an ML10i receiver on the Naida and an ML Freedom receiver on my CI.

One of the things that I really enjoy about working at Phonak is how the engineers, audiologists, and other product designers are very interested in my opinions, as a person with hearing loss. They frequently ask me how I feel about certain product features. Many of my ideas have been incorporated into new products. So this is definitely a company that listens to its end users!

I wish to make a few comments on your excellent post.

First, we do have a new MyPilot leather case with a removable leather clip. This became available in about December. If you don’t have one, talk to your audiologist to get one. A hole for the charger is a good idea and I am definitely passing this suggestion on.

Second, there is a lock feature available on the SmartLink. Pressing the “-“ and “F” buttons at the same time will lock the buttons and prevent accidental changes.

We do have many colours of FM receivers available. For example, on my Naida I have a black ML10i receiver and on my CI I have a silver ML Freedom. The universal receivers such as the MLxi only come in silver because this receiver can be used by any hearing aid, not just Phonak. As such, there are 100’s of different hearing colours from all the different manufacturers and it would be impossible to match these.

The iCom in its current form is designed for streaming. If you do not wish to hear from the iCom, you can press the button on the iCom to get out of iCom mode. You can have more than one other program in your hearing aids from Phonak. I would again check with your audiologist to see if you can get a program structure that best meets your needs.

Reading the battery life of a hearing aid through the MyPilot presents interesting challenges. When you make a device with a rechargeable battery, we know the battery performance and can therefore tell you how much life is left. For example, the battery life indicator in a SmartLink+ is quite accurate. However, since there are so many different types of disposable hearing aid batteries on the market, it is difficult to accurately detect the battery life. We can detect when the voltage starts to drop and thus the battery needs replacing. But if the voltage is at the correct level, we cannot at this time determine how many days of battery life you still have left.

The ability to adjust the volumes of the FM and M independently is something that could potentially be done. However, this is a concept that many might find confusing. So we have come up wit a better idea through our new FM platform called Dynamic FM. This is available in the inspiro, SmartLink+, ZoomLink+, and EasyLink+ transmitters. In addition you also need the newer Dynamic FM receivers such as MLxi, ML9i, ML10i, ML11i, ML12i, or MyLink+. Essentially what will happen is when someone is talking into your transmitter you get a high signal to noise ratio. Then when the person is not talking into the transmitter, you will be able to hear your own voice or that of your peers. This essentially is doing what you are seeking.

A totally waterproof hearing aid would be great, but is hard to do. We do have a water resistant hearing aid called the Naida. This hearing aid can handle persperation, humidity, or light rain better than any other conventional hearing aid. However, some air needs to get to the Zinc Air batteries and to the microphones. As such we do not recommend swimming or bathing with it.

Lastly, it is true there is some delay when using Bluetooth. We tested our “TV Pack” with many people with hearing loss to see if it was acceptable and majority were unfazed by the short delay. If you wish to have a zero delay, then you will find using your FM system with the TV to be an improvement as there is zero delay when using FM transmission. I personally prefer using FM with the TV. However, the TV Pack is a nice affordable option that works well for most people with hearing loss.

I hope this helps!

Thanks again for your feedback.

Peter Stelmacovich
FM Product Manager
Phonak Canada

sweet.. thanks for the feedback. i have two Phonak Naida V UPs with the integrated recievers (ML10i i believe). I'm glad that someone at Phonak seems to be listening!
Here are a few more thoughts:

-I received my Naidas in December, so I have to assume that I have the most recent case. I can't seem to get the clip off of the back of the MyPilot case. Perhaps better instructions on how to do this?
-Also, the case for the Smartlink doesn't fit the lanyard and aux audio pieces, so i currently carry mine around in a soft glasses case. So a case that fits all of these parts would be nice.
-The integrated receivers for the Naidas only come in a few colors. I have red naidas, and would have liked to have red receivers too.
-i just discovered the 'hold' function thanks to the people on AD, but one similar to the ipods (with the orange visible) is much easier than pushing the 2 buttons)
-perhaps my audie does not have my HAs set up properly for the iCom? We had to turn the autoFM off because others at my school use FM so i would walk around and suddenly be hearing them or interference... very annoying. So currently to use my iCom i have to be in the FM+M or FM only program for it to pick up the iCom.. annoying since i loose all of the automatic adjustments that the 'automatic' program makes on its own. I would like to have the option to swtich between 'iCom-only' and 'iCom+M' and 'M' as i could see myself using it more if i could. for example, when others are around i might want to listen to music through 'iCom+M', but if someone speaks to me i would want to switch back to 'M', or if someone calls i would need to be able to switch to 'iCom-only' as any background noise impairs my use of the telephone. For me i can do this all with my FM, but if i didn't have the FM i would not be able to do this.
-i did not have the option to not purchase the TV Pack - i would not have purchased it if i didn't have to because i have FM, and like you said.. it works MUCH better for everything. i would have much preferred to save money on that and put it towards Naida IXs (which at an extra $3G is still out of my price range). I purchased the Naidas and Smartlink at the same time, so i really didn't need the iCom nor TV Pack. Ideally, if that money could have gone towards upgrading to Naida IXs that would have been preferable to giving me equipment i never use.
-how about rechargeable batteries for the Naidas then? (i know you can get them from powerone, but i dont know anyone that has tried them yet, and i dont want to be the first). I think i'd be willing to invest if they gave me an accurate reading of how much is left. Also, if Phonak had rechargeable batteries then they could possibly make a swimming HA?

Those are just a few suggestions that i can think of.
Anyway, glad to hear that someone is listening!
*EQL*

Also, if Phonak had rechargeable batteries then they could possibly make a swimming HA?

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i think they could, but another problem is the microphone.

I'm thinking how about making a bluetooth/FM microphone for outside of the pool (kinda like how FM system send signals to hearing aids)... and earpiece in the pool? I can only dream, right?

Lighthouse77 said:

i think they could, but another problem is the microphone.

I'm thinking how about making a bluetooth/FM microphone for outside of the pool (kinda like how FM system send signals to hearing aids)... and earpiece in the pool? I can only dream, right?

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that would be cool for some people.. but wouldnt help me.. i want to be able to hear my friends! it might help if i was still competitively swimming, then my coach could have the mic.

*EQL*

evil_queen_lisa said:

that would be cool for some people.. but wouldnt help me.. i want to be able to hear my friends! it might help if i was still competitively swimming, then my coach could have the mic.

*EQL*

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But that would be awesome for swim class. I finally got my teacher accustomed to telling me what we were going to be doing BEFORE i had to take my stuff off. It would be a step in the right direction

girlingrey said:

But that would be awesome for swim class. I finally got my teacher accustomed to telling me what we were going to be doing BEFORE i had to take my stuff off. It would be a step in the right direction

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lol.. i haven't had much success in that!

A totally waterproof hearing aid would be great, but is hard to do. We do have a water resistant hearing aid called the Naida. This hearing aid can handle persperation, humidity, or light rain better than any other conventional hearing aid. However, some air needs to get to the Zinc Air batteries and to the microphones. As such we do not recommend swimming or bathing with it.

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Phonak FM- If air needs to get to the batteries and mics, why not consider creating a very small device w/its own extremely small power supply - invented by your company even if it hasn't been invented yet - (or somehow running off the battery) that provides a continuous stream of air hitting these parts? This would allow for the external hearing aid case to remain truly solid and waterproof.

Hi again folks,

Yes, it is true we don't match every single hearing aid colour. We do carry the most popular colours. I personally LOVE red hearing aids, but it is not a very popular colour. Good for you for having such flair!

Not sure if you have the latest MyPilot case or not. You might still have the older one. Just ask your audiologist to order you the new one (tell him/her that it is "no charge" as per Peter S).

I am going to get someone else in the office to comment on the iCom questions. Since I have a Cochlear Implant I don't have the luxury of being able to use the iCom.

Phonak FM said:

Hi again folks,

Yes, it is true we don't match every single hearing aid colour. We do carry the most popular colours. I personally LOVE red hearing aids, but it is not a very popular colour. Good for you for having such flair!

Not sure if you have the latest MyPilot case or not. You might still have the older one. Just ask your audiologist to order you the new one (tell him/her that it is "no charge" as per Peter S).

I am going to get someone else in the office to comment on the iCom questions. Since I have a Cochlear Implant I don't have the luxury of being able to use the iCom.

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Thanks Peter.
Curious.. why can't you use the iCom with a CI? does it interfere with something in the CI, or could you use it monoaurally (not sure if thats the correct word) with the ear with the Naida?

*EQL*

Phonak FM said:

Hi again folks,

Yes, it is true we don't match every single hearing aid colour. We do carry the most popular colours. I personally LOVE red hearing aids, but it is not a very popular colour. Good for you for having such flair!

Not sure if you have the latest MyPilot case or not. You might still have the older one. Just ask your audiologist to order you the new one (tell him/her that it is "no charge" as per Peter S).

I am going to get someone else in the office to comment on the iCom questions. Since I have a Cochlear Implant I don't have the luxury of being able to use the iCom.

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I had the same issue with my receivers for my FM. My audiologist said when she called to order them she asked what colors they had and was told "we have lots" but we were both disappointed there was a lack of purple!

Peter - my audiologist has told me about you before...I know that is kind of weird. She was going to put me in contact with you a few times when I was thinking about getting a CI.

JennyB said:

Peter - my audiologist has told me about you before...I know that is kind of weird. She was going to put me in contact with you a few times when I was thinking about getting a CI.

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small world, eh!

*EQL*

evil_queen_lisa said:

Thanks Peter.
Curious.. why can't you use the iCom with a CI? does it interfere with something in the CI, or could you use it monoaurally (not sure if thats the correct word) with the ear with the Naida?

*EQL*

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Hi there, just to chime in on the use of iCom with C.I. The iCom actually works with a wireless antenna that functions at an above FM frequency (hi-ban). Almost all of Phonak's newer hearing aids have this wireless antenna built in, C.I.s do not. There's no interference issue, just nothing to catch/process the signal.

Hi

Phonak said they will get to the audi with a quote the next day for repairs and they didnt would be nice if they did what they said

afitzsim said:

Hi there, just to chime in on the use of iCom with C.I. The iCom actually works with a wireless antenna that functions at an above FM frequency (hi-ban). Almost all of Phonak's newer hearing aids have this wireless antenna built in, C.I.s do not. There's no interference issue, just nothing to catch/process the signal.

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ahh.. so you could still use it in the one ear if you had a Phonak HA?
*EQL*

evil_queen_lisa said:

ahh.. so you could still use it in the one ear if you had a Phonak HA?
*EQL*

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Correct. the iCom works with Phonak hearing aids only, not with the CI.