Surprised at silence from other Hearing Aid Manufacturers about ASHA

Windows could support ASHA if Microsoft licensed it and implemented a driver. I doubt that will happen. It’s more likely that Microsoft will implement a driver for a BT SIG hearing aid protocol when it becomes available.

True. And I too doubt that it would happen.

And with Microsoft’s enthusiastic support of Android since the failure of Windows Phone, I too think that Microsoft’s implementing a Microsoft supported driver for the BT SIG will probably happen.

@darylm said:

Windows could support ASHA if Microsoft licensed it and implemented a driver. I doubt that will happen. It’s more likely that Microsoft will implement a driver for a BT SIG hearing aid protocol when it becomes available.

Isn’t it the manufacturer of the device or component that usually makes the driver?

Technically, you are of course correct, Daryl. But if you look at what actually works where, I think that’s all that’s important to users.

Bluetooth Classic works with Android phones, iOS iPhones, Microsoft Windows 10 computers, and Apple computers.

MFi (Made For iPhone) only works with Apple products.

I would agree that calling Made for iPhone proprietary is factual. Calling Phonak’s system “non-proprietary” is not “factual” if one is using dictionary meaning of the word.

Since we’re splitting hairs…it’s not Phonak’s system. They licensed a standard from a non-profit standards body. That body doesn’t make a product that only their standard works on.

I think it’s a stretch to say it’s proprietary but I concede that it’s dictionary. So you wanna use the term and technology called bluetooth? Well then pay us. But it’s open.
So you wanna say your product is UL listed? Well then pay us. But help yourself.

From the wikipedia page:
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is the standards organisation that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of the Bluetooth technologies and trademarks to manufacturers. The SIG is a not-for-profit, non-stock corporation founded in September 1998.

I have not checked but is Phonak claiming patent rights on their method? Are they publishing standards that other hearing aid manufacturers could use to implement the system? If they are claiming patent rights and not sharing the technology then that is about as proprietary as it gets.

If that will be the case then I can see Phonak reaping the benefit of being the only approach that allows for connection to all devices that can use Bluetooth Classic. And that appears to be, at this time, literally all devices whether they be Android, Apple or Microsoft.

My devices are Android and Microsoft and I’m not going to change devices. Phonak Marvels, after a year, are still the only solution for me.

Why should they share the Sword chip tech? Does anyone else? No. They are using the open standards licensed to them from the SIG. That’s as far as that needs to go. Certainly everything else in there can be proprietary to them, and I’m fine with that, but the standard is not. What’s that term…brand agnostic. A manufacturer uses an open technology that agrees and works with other disparate manufacturers using the same open technology. Dell and HP are fierce competitors but their products can talk to each other using these same open standards. And both with the Marvels.

@TraderGary said:

If that will be the case then I can see Phonak reaping the benefit of being the only approach that allows for connection to all devices that can use Bluetooth Classic.

Perhaps in the short term. The other manufacturers that currently use MFi will have to make a decision as to whether they develop their own unique solution like Phonak, or if they will just adopt ASHA in addition to MFi. my guess would be that they will get on the ASHA bandwagon. How does the saying go? “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future!”

My thoughts are that choosing your hearing aids based on your cell phone is letting the tail wag the dog. Much easier to change the tail!

Drivers are layered. It’s fair to say that the lowest level driver is usually provided by the hardware manufacturer (e.g., Intel or Broadcomm), but the hooks into the operating system are done by Microsoft.

@TraderGary You’re changing the subject. You made the statement about MFi and ASHA being proprietary, not me. They are all proprietary, as I explained.

You don’t have to guess what Resound and Oticon will do. They already said they will support both. The only question is what Phonak and the others will do.

Somewhere in the forum, too, is a post or two saying that Starkey has committed to supporting ASHA, too. So that’s at least 3 of what used to be The Big Six.

GN Hearing first to support direct Android streaming using ASHA

Starkey China branch just issued an announcement today, After upgrading the firmware through the 2019.1 fitting software, Livio and Livio AI will streaming support on Android. This is the description in the fitting software [image]