When the alarm goes off, the pad vibrates, waking you up. Find a good audiologist for advice on this. The sound is picked up by a microphone in the unit behind the deaf ear and transmitted via radio waves to the good ear, where it is amplified and transmitted as electrical signals into that ear. The units are slim, not like the old aids. It is not good in really noisy situations however, as it picks up all the background noise, too.
Telex does have a web site.
One hearing aid does not fit all. Different devices are designed to help with different kinds and severities of hearing loss. Vanity should not determine hearing aid choice. Many persons want the smallest in the ear hearing aid because it doesn't show. That aid may not be a very good aid and it may not be designed for the type of hearing loss you have.