EssilorLuxottica has released the Nuance Audio Plus, an upgraded version of its FDA-cleared over-the-counter hearing aid glasses that look like ordinary eyewear. The new model adds sharper voice clarity in noisy settings, extra physical controls on the frame, and up to 10 hours of battery life, and comes in three frame styles and five colors starting at $829. The original Nuance Audio glasses, priced from $699, will continue to be sold alongside the new Plus version.
A review of active noise cancellation (ANC) headphones outlines their benefits, including blocking steady background noise, improving audio clarity, protecting hearing by reducing the need for high volume, and aiding focus or sleep. It also highlights drawbacks: ANC struggles with sudden loud sounds, can sometimes degrade audio quality or cause ear discomfort, may reduce situational awareness in unsafe settings, and drains battery life faster than headphones without the feature.
Senator Josh Hawley is calling on Flock Safety's chief executive to testify before the Senate next week over the company's automated license plate reading network. Hawley argues that the surveillance technology, deployed widely across the country, threatens Americans' basic privacy expectations during everyday activities like commuting or attending church.
Startup Fortell, founded by Matthew de Jonge, has raised $163 million from investors including Founders Fund, Thrive Capital, and Valor Equity Partners CEO Antonio Gracias. The company is developing hearing aids that use AI to identify important sounds in real time and suppress background noise, rather than simply amplifying everything at once as most current devices do. De Jonge discussed the six-year effort behind the product on TechCrunch's Equity podcast.
Anker used IFA 2026 to reveal its first over-the-counter hearing aids, a receiver-in-canal design built on the company's Thus audio chip previously used in its Soundcore earbuds. The devices use four beam-forming microphones to isolate speech from a person facing the wearer, offer up to 12 hours of battery life (36 with the charging case), and can gain two hours of use from a five-minute fast charge. Anker has not yet disclosed specific models, US pricing, or availability, saying more details will come later this year.
Legato, a hearing-tech startup founded in late 2024 by former Bose and EssilorLuxottica executives Mehul Trivedi and Steve Romine, has exited stealth mode with $12 million in funding. The company unveiled Legato Frames, eyewear that embeds hearing-assistance technology into the temple arms of glasses, with a planned launch this fall. Legato is targeting people with mild to moderate hearing loss, the largest untreated segment of hearing-impaired adults.
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