Rexton BiCore R-Li T just purchased by friend at Costco

[billgem]

Yes, these are the same apps. The app specifically deals with 8 functions of the hearing aids:

• volume adjustment
• program selection
• TV adaptor
• phone calls
• streaming sound
• remote mic
• speech in noise
• locating missing hearing aids

None of these have to do with the core function of processing sound or how each hearing aid does that and does it differently than other hearing aids. These are simply controls for ancillary functions of the hearing aids. Other companies have similar apps. These apps don’t mean that the engine under the hood is the same.

It’s well known that Oticon, Philips, Bernafon, and Sonic all have the same parent company, William Demant. It makes sense that incidentals like the shell that houses the hearing aids, domes, mics, speakers, etc would be the same. But William Demant seems to have allowed each brand to maintain its own individuality when it comes to the core functions of their hearing aids.

[billgem]

Tinnitus is a medical condition for which hearing aids are only a partial treatment. Hearing aids provide a masking program, but there’s more to tinnitus treatment than that. Costco is entering dangerous waters if they allow their Hearing Instrument Specialists to even imply that they are providing treatment for their medical condition.

[user777]

I noticed that both the Oticon and the Philips apps have sections that deal with tinnitus and that is why I brought it up. Costco is wise not to try to address that medical condition.

[Reginald]

I’m an IT guy. Usually identical outer access layer means that the engine is either the same or very close.
It’s a proprietary software, they won’t allow for deeper changes, just some configuration options.
Software engineers are VERY expensive and I can assure you that they don’t hire one just for some rebranding.
They’re for profit businesses, and will always choose the cheaper option.

[billgem]

Reginald, I invite you to contribute to the linked thread where this question was discussed in some depth:

Oticon & the Business of Hearing Aids

Why did William Demant Holdings (aka Oticon) create the HearLink (Philips) series of hearing aids? On the surface the answer is obvious: to take advantage of Costco’s enormous market presence to increase sales volume. The under story must also be that Bernafon sales were deemed to be underperforming in that market and so a new brand with new buzz was needed to maximize market potential. But why not simply take an existing hearing aid like the Oticon More at the time and rebadge it with the Phi…

[billgem]

@Reginald

I’m an IT guy. Usually identical outer access layer means that the engine is either the same or very close.
It’s a proprietary software, they won’t allow for deeper changes, just some configuration options.
Software engineers are VERY expensive and I can assure you that they don’t hire one just for some rebranding.
They’re for profit businesses, and will always choose the cheaper option.

Here’s the thing. Oticon employs almost 500 engineers. Would they need to hire new engineers when they decided to initiate development of hearing aids for the Philips brand? Or would it simply be a matter of reassigning existing staff to a new project?

[danka]

Can the software engineer just switch off certain functions/programs in the HA. Then sell as rebrand HA. Rewrite the programming software with a few cosmetics top up!

[Reginald]

That’s what is usually usually done. Although the case of Oticon/Phillips seems to be different.

[danka]

Maybe we need someone to do an orange-to-orange comparison. As OTC HA are tested and been compared in different aspect. So, we hope they can do the same for Oticon/Philips HA.
Only then we know what is different or it is the same.

[tenkan]

The software is clearly different, so Genie2 and HearSuite are doing different things, HearSuite is the same as Sonic EXPRESSfit, which is similar to Oasisnxt.

[Gord_Millar]

Thats Why I joined this form. I got a pair two weeks ago and I am having issues with the blue tooth connection. They alternate between ears and drop out on phone calls and on streaming. These were to be an upgrade from my Philips rechargeable and so far I am not impressed. I have taken them back to Costco to have them checked. I have them paired to an iPhone. I tried them on my wife’s iPhone as well with the sam results. And to be honest the sound quality isn’t an improvement over the Philips. The person at Costco felt these were newer and better technology. I really question that.