The Audien Hearing’s Atom ($99.99) and Atom Pro ($249.00, currently $179.00 with coupon on Amazon) in-ear buds provide a cheap and easy solution for those who suffer only moderate volume-related hearing loss. The Atoms are simply sound amplifiers – there’s no Bluetooth for phone calls or music and no aural presets to compensate for specific ambient situations. On the other hand, because there’s no smartphone app, the Atoms are ridiculously simple to use for the tech-phobic – take ’em out of their case and slip ’em in your ears, and everything is suddenly louder.
I have been writing about consumer electronics for four decades, including news, reviews, analysis and history for a wide variety of consumer, niche and trade outlets. For the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), I annually update the industry's history and write the official biographies of the CTA Hall of Fame inductees. Aside from writing about consumer technology for a variety of consumer, tech and trade publications, I write a blog and do market research for Digital Technology Consulting. In the non-tech world, I have written "Bums No More: The Championship Season of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers" and "The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle." Check out my work at www.stewartwolpin.com.