Cochlear, GN Hearing and Android bring Direct Streaming of Music, Phone Calls to People with Hearing Loss

GN Hearing, the global leader in hearing aid connectivity, and Cochlear, the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, together with Google, today announce world-first support for direct streaming from Android™ devices to hearing devices using Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE).

The new technology is based on a recent hearing aid specification, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) on Bluetooth Low Energy Connection-Oriented Channels, which Google has developed in collaboration with GN Hearing and Cochlear. This new direct streaming technology from compatible* Android devices allows people to use their hearing devices like a headset to enjoy music, take calls and much more, while using a protocol designed to maximise battery life.

With BLE, people can use technology designed for streaming all day while preserving the battery life of their hearing devices, which is a challenge for the traditional Classic Bluetooth streaming currently available.

Around 466 million people worldwide live with disabling hearing loss**,and the number is increasing by millions every year, according to the World Health Organization.2 With the official release of Android 10, Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 3a XL* will be the first Android phones to support direct streaming to ReSound LiNX Quattro™ and Beltone Amaze™ hearing aids and the Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor.

[caption id="attachment_134644" align="aligncenter" width="768"] ReSound LiNX Quattro - Bluetooth hearing aid (Image - Resound.com)[/caption]

The new streaming technology will be available by way of an update to Android 10, plus a firmware update on the hearing devices. The streaming specification is open source, which allows other manufacturers of hearing aids and Android devices to offer direct audio streaming in the near future.



“The streaming capability with the latest hearing devices from Cochlear or GN Hearing expands accessibility to more consumer technology. The benefit to our users is they will no longer have to use an intermediate device to stream audio from a compatible Android device to their cochlear implant sound processor or hearing aid,” says Jan Janssen, Chief Technology Officer, Cochlear. Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 550,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 100 countries, to hear.

“We’ve partnered up with some of the leading technology companies in the world to deliver innovation with the user at heart. Now people with hearing loss can enjoy effortless streaming all day long and easily connect with people,” says Jakob Gudbrand, CEO and President of GN Hearing.


Founded in 1869, The GN Group is a global leader in intelligent audio solutions that let you hear more, do more and be more than you ever thought possible. Our ambitious 150-year journey has taken us from telegraph cables to radio waves and intelligent audio engineering. To celebrate our anniversary, we look to our unique competences within medical, professional and consumer audio solutions to help us continue to transform lives through the power of sound.

~ Business Wire India

One Can Now Make Smart Gadgets and IoT Devices That Use Bluetooth 5

Last year in July, we reported about how Bluetooth Special Interest Group officially announced Bluetooth 5 in a formal press release. The organisation teased everyone when they unveiled that the new and improved technology would offer double the range and four times the speed of the current Bluetooth 4.2 standard in use.

While users will still have to wait for a few more months for Bluetooth 5 to reach their mobile devices, but the technology has finally reached developer boards designed to make gadgets and IoT devices.

For the inquisitive ones who can't wait to try their hands at the new tech, you can now test it on developer boards which are currently being shipped by hardware makers.

According to Mark Powell, Bluetooth Special Interest Group executive director, Bluetooth 5 is a new generation of Bluetooth technology. The technology, which hooks up multiple devices wirelessly, was first unveiled to the world in the year 1999 and since then its popularity has swollen like anything. Its latest will offer a realistic range of 120 meters and transfer data of up to 2 Mbps. The organisation claims that the range could be even longer in a clear line of sight.

The new offering would be best for those who pair mobile devices or PCs to peripherals like wireless speakers as with Bluetooth 5, there will be fewer connection drops than before.

It will also make it possible for a bluetooth device to transmit data from one device to many, a feature that will prove to be extremely beneficial in smart homes setups. For instance, if a home's surveillance system detects something fishy, it could make use of Bluetooth 5 to instantly activate the safety light and the alarm system of the house.
According to experts, Bluetooth 5 will also aid richer data broadcast, like location details and URLs. This would prove to be beneficial in setups that transfer navigation data, like retail stores or self-driving cars.

In December, the Bluetooth SIG said that Bluetooth 5 will reach devices in about two to six months. Smartphones and tablets that boost of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chips are most likely to become the first devices to have Bluetooth 5 in the chipset.

But why wait till then? You should definitely try your hands on the new Bluetooth 5 with the wireless boards which are currently shipping. The boards will come in handy for innovators developing internet of things devices or prototyping gadgets for automation or industrial settings.

While wireless boards such as Particle and Espressif Systems (which primarily make use of Wi-Fi technology) are extremely famous among the developer community, but several other boards with Bluetooth 5 functionality are already available or will soon be debuting in the market.

TI's SimpleLink Bluetooth Board

One of the firsts to embrace Bluetooth 5 was Texas Instruments. Its Launchpad Board wireless development kit, which comes at an attractive price point of $29, has been designed to test Bluetooth 5 applications in IoT settings. Available on TI's website, the kit has a 48Mhz ARM Cortex-M3 processor and comes with a set of inputs so as to connect sensors. The board will be upgradeable to the latest Bluetooth 5 when the full firmware stack is officially released.

Abelon Systems Bluetooth 5 for IoT

One of the best options for people developing prototype gadgets, Abelon Systems' IoT Reference Platform will offer its users a range of wireless connectivity technology, including the support for Bluetooth 5.

In addition to this, it will also be supporting ZigBee and several other low-bandwidth IoT connectivity technologies such as LoRaWAN or SIGFOX. Expected to be shipped later this year, the platform will come with some on-board sensors that will include a magnetometer, a gyrometer and an accelerometer, but it will also come with an option of attaching other sensors through interfaces. It has come with I2C and UART connector interfaces.

Nordic Semiconductor's Hardware Development Kit

A perfect development board for people looking to develop small electronics, Nordic's nRF52840 Preview Development Kit is compatible with Arduino Uno Revision 3, which is a very famous electronics development environment.

Priced between US$40 and $50, the board has 1MB of integrated flash storage, 256KB of RAM, and a 64Mhz Cortex-M4F processor. In addition to all this, it also comes with ARM Mbed support. It also has a USB 2.0 interface, an NFC interface and a number of connectors.

Bluetooth 5 Coming To An IoT Near You

It might seem hard to accept, but it has been over a decade since the term "Bluetooth" came into our lives.

Ten years ago, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) delivered on their promise of providing the world a secure wireless technology with faster speeds and longer ranges than previously ever witnessed for small and portable mobile devices. But much has changed now.Keeping in line with the changing times, the SIG has finally confirmed that the Bluetooth 5 standards have been finally been successfully adopted. It was during the beginning of the year that Bluetooth SIG had officially announced Bluetooth 5 in a formal press release.

The one thing that stands out in Bluetooth 5 is its phenomenal speed. The technology is now faster than ever with an improved range. The updated Bluetooth is twice the speed and four times the range of its predecessor, Bluetooth 4.2, with speeds of up to 2MBps. With a 8x broadcasting messaging capacity, Bluetooth 5 is capable enough to carry data/information to “low energy” devices such as smartwatches, headphones, and other Internet of Thing (IoT).



The new and improved speed of the latest Bluetooth, Bluetooth 5, enables more responsive, high-performance devices. In addition to this, the 8x increase in broadcast message size results in an increase in data being sent for much more improved and context relevant solutions. According to Bluetooth SIG, Bluetooth will continue embracing the technological advancements and keep pushing the unlimited potential that the world of IOT posses.

As for the users, not only will they get to witness an impressive improvement with device pairing and higher data transfer rates, but the updated Bluetooth, Bluetooth 5, will also ensure that it doesn't suffer from any outside interference from other wireless devices, which are making use of LTE and Wi-Fi spectrums. Bluetooth 5 will be best Bluetooth till date when it comes to avoiding congestion, and making other wireless devices work better and more efficiently no matter what is their spectrum.

Bluetooth 5 is expected to hit the world markets somewhere around summer next year. The rumour mill is already going strong with the news that the next-generation Apple iPhone will flaunt the new, improved BT5 standard. In the year 2018, the world could also witness a separate update for Bluetooth Audio.

So, 2017 seems to be turning up quite well already, Bluetooth wise at least. What say?