The Zōn hearing aid from Starkey Laboratories Inc, Eden Prairie, Minn, has won a 2008 Tekne Award and the Consumer Electronics Show Innovations 2009 Award, for a total of four design awards this year.
For the Tekne Award, presented by the Minnesota High Tech Association, the best-in-class Zōn beat out tough competition in the medical technology category, including Medtronic and Vital Images Inc. The association distributes the awards annually to companies and individuals who have advanced technology and provided leadership in Minnesota.
The Consumer Electronics Association, which promotes growth in the consumer technology industry, recognized the product with an award in the health and wellness category.
The hearing aid has also captured the 2008 People’s Design Award, given by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and a Spark Design Award.
Developed with Starkey’s evidence-based design approach, Zōn blends world-class technology with beautiful design, ultimately providing high levels of acceptance and satisfaction for patients. Outside, Zōn
– Is built out of moisture-resistant material.
– Was designed to minimize the number of touchpoints on wearers’ skin with a curved, elegant shape.
– Has a sophisticated hair and skin-tone color palette, designed to complement and match natural skin tones and hair, which was developed through a partnership with respected cosmetics researchers.
Inside, Zōn:
– Provides best-in-class performance through the cutting-edge technology.
– Harnesses the power of BluWaveTM Signal Processing to virtually eliminate feedback with Active Feedback Intercept (AFI) and deliver the best performing directional system on the market with Directional Speech Detector (DSD).
– Allows hearing care professionals to quickly and accurately conduct real-ear measurements with Integrated Real Ear Measurement, providing the most precise fit possible, thus helping professionals counsel patients, reducing the number of adjustments needed for a comfortable fit and better addressing the challenges hearing aid users are facing in their environments.
The International CES is the industry’s largest educational forum to help companies expand their businesses and understand new technology. The show is sponsored, produced and managed by the Consumer Electronics Association.
About Starkey Laboratories
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. The company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Founded in 1967, Starkey currently employs over 3,500 people, operates 25 facilities and conducts business in over 100 markets worldwide. The Starkey Laboratories family of companies operates a number of divisions including Audibel, Micro-Tech, NU-EAR and Starkey. For more information, visit www.starkeypro.com.
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