Question...

I have been using VirtualBox for a long time, with Ubuntu as my host, and multiple Windows installations as clients. There is one problem I have not been able to overcome. If I use a USB device and there is no driver available for Ubuntu, then the Windows clients cannot access it either.
Is there a solution to this?

If not, would I be less likely to have this problem using ESXi?

I have the Baha device mentioned in the OP -- the titanium screw in my skull. It works great. It involved surgery, and that makes it expensive. But it also ensures excellent sound conduction. My left ear is good, so this device is mounted behind my right ear. It allows me to hear sounds from the right side.

These devices are aimed at two categories of people:
- Inner ear works, middle ear does not: it gets the sound (vibration) to the inner ear
- Single sided deafness: it gets the sound from the deaf side across to the working ear

Hearing aids worn in the ear cause some problems with the ear itself. I would imagine having a device in your mouth would also create some issues: it doesn't look like it would permit eating, and might even interfere with speech. So I would see this dental appliance as a bridge, an interim solution for something like the Baha, or a lower cost alternative.

There have been some terriffic points made on this thread but there is one thing that hasn't been discussed. Companies change -- often quickly and dramatically. It can happen as a result of change of ownership, change in upper management, competitive pressure, changes to the market, changes in the underlying technology, or changes to the economy. You read about it every day: ABC CORP has always provided lifetime employment to its employees... and suddenly lays off half its staff (the most highly paid) and outsources many functions. If the tech vs management decision is based on some assumption of job security, that is a very dangerous assumption. How portable will those N years of tech management be to a new job? If you succeed brilliantly at it, will you be able to convince other prospective employers?

Presumably their cost is about $100. Why not sell it to us 'wealthy' Western nations for $150 or so? We get a neat inexpensive laptop, they get $50 to fuel their production/distribution mechanism.