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Santa Cruz, CA (September 10, 2007) - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) unveiled today the new Voyager 855, the industry's first mono-to-stereo convertible Bluetooth® headset with AudioIQ® DSP noise reduction technology for MP3 mobile phones.

The new Plantronics Voyager™ 855 headset offers a convertible design and immersive sound experience for calls as well as listening to music on Bluetooth enabled mobile phones with stereo A2DP. The lightest stereo headset available to date, the new Voyager 855 includes intelligent features that offer unparalleled audio clarity.

Read the complete story...

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It is widely known that using a headset in the call center environment is extremely important to the health and productivity of the employee.  There are numerous studies that have documented the reduction of neck, back, and shoulder pain associated with using headsets over traditional telephone handsets.  Also, since headsets free up your hands to multi-task while on the phone, the employee becomes more efficient at his job.  What is important now is to maintain the vital connection between the headset and the wearer in as healthy a way as possible.  This is where headset hygiene comes into play.

 A study by the University of Arizona concluded that telephones can be contaminated with up to 25,123 germs per square inch, and that telephones have 500 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.  The population of germs and bacteria can include E.coli, Streptococcus, Salmonella, and Staphyloccus aureus, which are all potentially dangerous and contagious organisms.  The same bacteria can be found on telephone headset voice tubes and ear cushions.  Also, voice tubes regularly become blocked with food, make-up and dust.  This is not only unhygienic, but it also compromises the effectiveness of the voice tube.  Sound levels on both sides of the call can be reduced thus affecting the productivity of the employee and possibly losing the customer.  Fortunately, these parts are easy and inexpensive to replace.  So, great diligence should be paid to the maintenance and replacement of these small but extremely important parts of your headsets for the health of your employees. 

Recommendations

 

1. Every user should have his own dedicated headset
2. Foam or leatherette ear cushions, voice tubes, and windscreens should be replaced every time a new person uses the headset
3. Foam or leatherette ear cushions, voice tubes, and windscreens should be replaced every six months or sooner if soiled or clogged for normal hygiene maintenance
4. All plastic parts of headsets, amplifiers, and telephone equipment should regularly be cleaned with anti-bacterial wipes or cleaners and especially when equipment is assigned to a new user
5. Train employees in correct hygiene procedures for their headsets
6. Discourage employees from eating at their desks because food particles can become lodged in the voice tubes

 These recommendations are meant as a guide to headset hygiene for your company to help maintain a safe and healthy workplace for your employees.  As an added bonus, you may see less sick days taken and headset equipment that lasts longer.

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The Plantronics Explorer 350, one of several Bluetooth headsets in Plantronics’ Explorer series, is the follow-up to the Explorer 320. The 350 is currently the high-end headset within the Explorer series, offering just about everything you could ask for from a Bluetooth headset.

The Plantronics Explorer 350 has a sleek, ultramodern design which looks great and offers unparalleled comfort. Its single multifunction button makes it easy to use and allows for excellent call control. The Explorer 350 can be charged using both the included USB cable or car charger. The car accessories make it extremely mobile—exactly what you should be looking for in a Bluetooth headset.

Click here to see the complete review...

Posted April 2, 2007 by BlueTomorrow.com Editorial Staff

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By: Dave Orser

02-05-2007

See complete review...

Summary: Plantronics has been building headsets for over 44 years. In fact, the first voice transmission from the moon was made using one of their headsets. I guess these guys must know a thing or two about headsets. Today we check out one of their newer products using Bluetooth technology called the Voyager 510.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Everyone knows that these were the words Neil Armstrong spoke as he stepped on to the moon. It was thru a Plantronics headset that he spoke these words. That was on June 20th 1969, and Plantronics headsets have been in use since 1962. Plantronics has been making lightweight headsets for over 44 years; let’s take a look at a product they offer us today.

Cell Phones, Desktop Phones, PDAs and Computers have one thing in common: They use audio. Speaking into a handset requires you to use a hand, most of us have two hands, if you are busy with one holding a handset you are less than half productive. Wires can also a pain in some instances.  The solution? A wireless hands free headset of course! Plantroics 510 Voyager Headset to rescue.

Features

• Lightweight design for all-day wearing comfort
• Noise-Cancelling microphone for clearer conversations
• WindSmart provides wind-noise reduction technology for optimal sound clarity
• Versatile headset for multiple Bluetooth® devices
• Headset folds for easy storage
• One-touch call control buttons

Now on with the review!

In the Box

Contained in our product box was...

• The headset itself of course
• Three different size ear tips to ensure a good fit
• Two chargers, a wall plug and a USB charger
• Carrying bag
• Software CD with PerSonoCall and user guides
• Charging instruction pamphlet
• Safety guide and warranty information card

Setup and Installation

Installation was a breeze. Most computers do not have Bluetooth technology built in; the Plantronic 510 we tested came with a USB Bluetooth adapter. On a Windows XP machine, just plug the USB Bluetooth adapter into a USB port and Windows XP finds the device and automatically installs the drivers; no need for CD’s. Setting up the applications to use with the Plantronics 510 is almost as easy. Just set the application to use the Plantronic BT Adapter, instead of your built in or already installed sound card and you're good to go.

The headset came with two ways to charge the built in battery. There was a wall charger and also a USB charger. The stand would adapt to either and was easy to interchange between the two.

The Voyager 510 In The Field...

Skype and other softphone software worked flawlessly with this headset. The sound quality was great both sending and receiving. It paired nicely with both the computer using the USB adapter and also with a cell phone. In fact, it remembered both pairings so I did not need to set up the device each time I switched back and forth from the computer to the cell phone. To answer a call there is a button the side the side for one touch call answer and the same button also ends the call.

As an avid gamer that likes true surround sound when gaming, my 5.1 speaker system is always nearby and I often prefer them over using a headset. However, I actually managed to find a perfect use for gaming with this headset. I used Ventrilo or Teamspeak to communicate with others playing the game and also still had my surround sound speakers active for game play. The light weight and comfort of the headset was great for those long gaming sessions and provided a fantastic solution to using both the game and Ventrilo at the same time.

To set this up I simply had the preferred sound card for Ventrilo to use the USB BT Adapter and the game to use my other sound card. I occasional had some issues with Ventrilo not wanting to switch sound cards but that was not a fault with the Plantronics system, it was Windows XP and Ventrilo just not wanting to work properly without a restart.

Battery Life

With up to 6 hours of talk time per charge you can literally talk or game for hours at a time and not worry about your battery running dry.

Sound Quality

The microphone on this headset is a high quality noise cancelling microphone with wind cancelling technology. Many of the people I was talking to when using it with a cell phone did not know I was using a headset at all. The sound quality was probably better that not using the headset when walking beside a busy road and talking on the phone.

Problems and Issues

My only real issue with this headset was the buttons. The power button in particularly is very small and hard to press, especially when you are wearing the headset. This button is also very close to the up volume button and often was pressing the incorrect one when it was on my ear. It also takes some timing with the buttons for some functions to work; turning it off, for instance takes a press of 3 seconds on that small button.

Final Thoughts

This is quite possibly the best Bluetooth headset I have used. It scored the best in comfort and sound quality for me. The fact that it worked with the PC too was a huge bonus. The swivel microphone works for both the left and right ear. Plantronics is known for quality and this one is no exception. Editors Choice!

Pros

• lightweight and flexible
• long battery life with 6 hour talk and 100 stand by time
• dual pairing capable (PC on one end.  Cell phone on the other.)
• two charging options
• excellent sound quality
• nice accessories such as the bag and three different size ear tips to ensure a good fit

Cons

• small hard to press power button

Overall: 9.0 / 10.0

Thousands of office workers at risk from neck pain, back pain and headaches if on phone for just two hours a day.

Hundreds of thousands of people who regularly use phone and a computer at work are likely to be suffering from muculosketetal health problems, which results in neck pain, back pain and headaches. The first detailed study of telephone users in the office environment demonstrates that there is a measureable health risk for anyone using the phone for just two hour daily. Read the complete story......

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Click here for Audio iQ presentation.

Plantronics AudioIQ is the industry's first DSP sound technology that automatically optimizes audio levels on both sides of every call for "Stand-Out Sound".  Whether you are in a busy airport, a noisy car, or at a crowed trade show, AudioIQ intelligenty adjusts voice levels for speaking and listening.  This technology also reduces background noise for clear intimate conversations every time.  Try the Plantronics Discovery 665 with Bluetooth technology and AudioIQ for your next mobile headset.

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Wireless technology is around us everywhere in our daily lives and it is only going to continue to grow.  We have been bombarded with an array of consumer electronics such as computers, stereos, mobile phones, TVs, digital cameras, etc.  Along with these and the latest electronic gadgets come wires, wires, and more wires.  Oh, what a tangled web we weave!  But as technology has changed our electronics it has also come up with new solutions to some of the problems they have created, especially in regard to wires for connections and functionality.  Enter probably the most important wireless controller, the remote control or the “flipper” if you will.  Simply point and shoot the simple infrared controller toward your TV or stereo and you have wireless control.  What serious couch potato would be without one?

What about the evolution of the cordless phone in your home?  Progressing technologies and new frequencies (900Mhz, 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz, etc.) have finally brought it to a reliable and stable mainstay of home communications equipment.  And I do not hear my neighbor’s conversations anymore on my phone.  Hey, what happened to the rotary phone?

Yes, the “winds of change” are always upon us.  Wireless convenience is now available outside the home in a variety of technologies and applications to deliver the hands-free experience in the office and on the go.  Wireless telephone headsets for the office and for your cell phone are now considered “cool”.  One company on the cutting edge, Plantronics, has been the world leader in communications headsets for over 40 years and manufacturers the largest selection of wireless headsets.  Today, they are enhancing their headsets with the latest innovations in personal communications, including Bluetooth, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Digital Signal Processing (DSP).

“We continue to see strong demand for our wireless office headsets because companies are looking for smarter, more efficient ways to work,” said Chuck Yort, vice president of Business Solutions at Plantronics.  “And just as ‘one size fits all’ no longer works for cell phones and PCs, the same is true for the wireless headset market.  From senior executives to mobile sales managers to telephony professionals, we now offer the industry’s widest range of wireless solutions to meet unique, job-specific communications needs.”

To meet these needs, Plantronics wireless headset systems include: 

Plantronics CS70 Wireless Executive Office Headset System

The Plantronics CS70 is the perfect choice for the busy executive that wants sophisticated style without compromising sound quality and comfort.  This wireless office headset will let you have phone conversations while multi-tasking up to 300 feet from your desk.  It has a very discrete design and is extremely lightweight (0.75 oz.) to provide all-day comfort.    For secure calls, the CS70 is built on digitally encrypted, voice-dedicated DECT 6.0 technology and it provides exceptional audio quality and lower interference with other wireless devices.

Plantronics SupraPlus Wireless Professional Headset System

The Plantronics SupraPlus wireless headsets are based on the award winning and time proven SupraPlus corded headsets.  These have been the workhorses of the contact centers, IT helpdesk professionals, and other office workers that spend a tremendous amount of time on the phone conducting business.  The SupraPlus headset system now allows you to “cut-the-cord” and have greater flexibility during your workday.  The same DECT 6.0 technology (as the CS70) is used to provide best-in-class audio quality and digitally secure conversations.

Plantronics Voyager 510SL Bluetooth Headset System

The Plantronics Voyager 510SL Bluetooth headset system with Windsmart is the ideal selection for the busy professional that is constantly juggling between cell phone and office phone calls.  This system provides a single wireless headset that seamlessly switches between office phones and Bluetooth mobile phones.  The headset features multipoint technology that automatically detects which device the person is using and allows them to switch at the touch of a button.  The headset also includes a noise-canceling microphone and wind-reduction technology for brilliant sound even under windy conditions. 

More Plantronics Wireless Headsets

The above three wireless systems join with the following Plantronics wireless headsets to give Plantronics one of the most extensive lines available today.  The CS50 and CS55 systems are the most popular with first-time wireless users in the office and the CS55-USB for professionals that use VoIP softphones.  The CS50 continues to be one of the most popular wireless headsets in the US with over one million units sold since its introduction two years ago.  Also, new to the CS55 family is the CS55H, which is designed more for the home user.  In the Bluetooth category for mobile phone users, Plantronics is having great success with the Explorer 330, Explorer 340, and Explorer 350 in the lower price range.  After these come the Discovery series including Discovery 640E, Discovery 655, and the new Discovery 665 with AudioIQ for digitally enhanced sound on both ends of the call.

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Check out all the new Wireless Headsets.  Cut the cord and work with total freedom around the office!

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This is the latest press release about Bluetooth wireless technology from the Bluetooth SIG.

LAS VEGAS-January 10, 2007-The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) today announced the winners of its second annual Best of CES Contest, an event during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), to highlight the newest, most innovative and consumer friendly Bluetooth enabeled products...read more...see the winners.

The Plantronics Discovery 665 was the winner in the headset catagory!