Oticon Epoq Hearing Device Honored with Prestigious 2008 CES Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award

Business Wire, Nov 19, 2007

Oticon Captures a Top Spot in International Competition for Second Year in a Row

SOMERSET, N.J. -- The American Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), producer of the world's largest consumer electronics show (CES), announced that Oticon Epoq has been selected as an International CES Best of Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award honoree. Oticon Epoq's advanced technology wireless connectivity earned one of the highest scores in the healthcare category from an international panel of independent industry designers, engineers and members of the trade press.

For more than 17 years, the Innovations awards program has provided a showcase for the industry's top creative products. Gary Shapiro, CEO and president of the Consumer Electronics Association, praised the 2008 honorees for their pioneering technology "that is fueling the advancement of the consumer technology industry." In 2007, Oticon earned highest honors in the personal electronics category for the company's breakthrough Oticon Delta hearing instrument.

"This is the second year that the Consumer Electronics Association's awards program has ranked Oticon's expertise in design and engineering among the world's best in the highly competitive arena of consumer electronics," stated Peer Lauritsen, President of Oticon, Inc. "We are honored that the Innovation Awards judges have chosen to recognize Epoq's cutting edge technology that for the first time enables people with hearing loss to not only better localize sounds but also delivers a richer, more dimensionalized sound quality. It affirms our belief that Epoq is truly a modern communications device."

Oticon Epoq's breakthrough digital technology enables two Epoq hearing instruments for the first time to work together to process sound, similar to the way the brain receives input from two ears to deliver the best sound picture. This real-time wireless connectivity with voices and other sounds in the immediate listening environment provides accurate, three-dimensional auditory information that enhances users' awareness of where sounds are coming from. This spatial awareness is essential to better hearing in all environments, but especially in those with surrounding conversations going on, such as in crowds or restaurants.

Epoq's wireless connectivity also enables people with hearing loss, for the first time, to connect to the world of electronically transmitted sounds from Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and other popular electronic devices such as MP3 players and computers. With the addition of Epoq's sleek companion device called a Streamer, Epoq becomes the equivalent of a hands-free intelligent headset without having to attach bulky devices or wires to the hearing instrument.

For more information about the new Epoq, visit www.oticonusa.com

About Oticon: Oticon is one of the most innovative hearing aid manufacturers on the market. With more than 100 years of experience, Oticon has spearheaded a number of technological breakthroughs which have made a significant difference for people with hearing loss. Oticon is the only hearing aid manufacturer with its own psycho acoustic research center, ensuring that the needs of hearing aid users are always put first when developing new solutions.