Oticon, Inc. is introducing the Oticon Epoq, a hearing instrument designed with wireless connectivity at its core and addressing two common listening challenges for people with hearing loss.

A proprietary binaural high speed wireless technology enables a pair of Epoq hearing devices to communicate at data transfer speeds 100 faster than hearing instruments now on the market. This real-time connectivity with voices and other sounds in the immediate listening environment provides accurate, stereophonic auditory information that is in synch with a user's visual experience.

The same wireless connectivity also enables easy, hands-free access to the sounds from Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and other popular electronic devices such as MP3 players and computers.

Earlier options such as removing one hearing aid or using a T-coil and the distractions caused by background noise often made cell phone use impossible for people with hearing loss.

A small streaming device attached to the Epoq allows it to become a hands-free Bluetooth intelligent headset. The Streamer, a small, sleek, wearable device similar to an MP3 player, facilitates effortless audio streaming from mobile phones, personal computers, GPS systems and other electronic devices.

The optional Streamer converts Bluetooth signals into an electromagnetic bit stream that is received directly by the hearing instruments. This seamless connectivity is fully digital and uninterrupted from the Bluetooth source device to the hearing instruments, providing noise-free sound quality. Once the Streamer is paired to a Bluetooth compatible cell phone, the user simply presses a button on the Streamer to receive phone calls through the hearing instruments