After 8 years with my Oticon Agil Pros, I previewed a pair of Oticon Opns for the past couple of weeks, with iPhone support. The gist of this post is that I feel hugely disconnected by having to give the demo aids back to the audiologist. For years, I’ve felt unable to converse on the telephone - and, unsurprisingly, I also felt closed off from distant friends and family. To be sure, I purchased an Oticon streamer, but the device saw little use: When I needed it, it wasn’t fully charged or I couldn’t find one of the necessary cords. I could have been better organized, but wasn’t, I admit, and left the phone calls to my wife.
What a difference the iPhone integration made. My iPhone rang in my aids, and I happily chatted on the phone – for the first time in years – to any and all callers, including my kids and old friends. Unlike the Oticon streamer, my iPhone is almost always nearby and charged. In addition, I had a blast watching Amazon Prime videos on my phone… and heard every word.
After giving the demo aids back to the audiologist, I felt as if a big steel door had slammed shut on my life. I wasn’t able to fork over $7000 for the Oticon Opn 1s, but I purchased a pair of Costco Resound Fortes after learning that Resound tops the charts in iPhone connectivity.
I realize that Android users are still in the connectivity wilderness – I hope that changes soon.