Plantronics Brings a Sense of Style to PC Headsets with New .Audio Family
New Audio Headsets Enhance Internet Telephony, Gaming, Podcasting and Multimedia Experiences bringing digital music and communications, closer
CeBIT, Hanover – March 9, 2006 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced its new family of .Audio™ PC headsets developed for a wide range of uses, including gaming, podcasts, Internet Telephony, and multimedia. The .Audio 340, .Audio 510 and .Audio 550 stereo headsets headline the new family of 10 products that all boast sound quality, as well as new contemporary designs that reinforce Plantronics’ commitment to style.
All of the .Audio headsets share a new design language that offers a contemporary and refreshing departure from traditional PC headgear. Plantronics conducted extensive ergonomic testing to develop a unique form factor that securely, comfortably fits a wide range of physical variants.
“The intention was to create a line of headsets that truly become an extension of the user by considering the function of the product and the human anatomy first,” said Darrin Caddes, vice president of Corporate Design for Plantronics, and formerly of BMW and Indian Motorcycle. “This is not unlike designing a car or motorcycle where the product clearly provides a defined function, but must also adapt to physical comfort and aesthetics that people respond to emotionally.”
Plantronics .Audio 340
The Plantronics .Audio™ 340 features a pressure-free, behind-the-head headband that rests stylishly above the neckline for a feather-light fit as users explore music, gaming, DVD’s and applications in robust stereo sound. Soft, swivel-mounted ear cushions deliver acoustic precision and ensure all-day comfort. Perfect for Internet chat and VoIP communications, the .Audio 340 features a noise-cancelling microphone to enhance speech recognition, while the QuickAdjust™ pivoting boom ensures ideal microphone placement. The .Audio 340 is compatible with all popular Internet chat and Internet telephony services from companies Skype, Yahoo!, AOL and MSN among others. The .Audio 340 will retail for £24.99 inc VAT (Euro 39.99 inc VAT).
Plantronics .Audio 510 USB and .Audio 550 DSP
The Plantronics .Audio™ 510 USB and .Audio™ 550 DSP are ideal for multimedia applications like gaming, music, and movies. They offer a supple, lightweight design and 40mm speakers that convey music and gaming with dynamic base response. The noise-cancelling microphone cuts out background distractions and enhances speech recognition accuracy for chatting and recordings, such as podcasts. The .Audio 550 DSP features a digital signal processing chip for actively eliminating background noise, and PerSono® Audio Control Centre Software, which provides music lovers with full control over microphone and audio characteristics like volume, bass and treble for balancing between hip hop, rock and classical. The .Audio 510 USB and .Audio 550 DSP will retail for £39.99 inc VAT (Euro £59.99 inc VAT) and £69.99 inc VAT (Euro 119.99 inc VAT).
The new .Audio products are reasonably priced, ranging from (£9.99 to £69.99) €19.99 to €119.99 respectively and will be available in April May 2006 in most retail chains across Europe, for more details please visit www.plantronics.com.
About Plantronics
In 1969, a Plantronics headset carried the historic first words from the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Since then, we’ve become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, emergency rescue, and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of Sound Innovation™ is the basis for every product we build for the office, contact centre, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. For more information, go to www.plantronics.com or call 0800 410014
Altec Lansing, .Audio, Clarity, PerSono, Plantronics, QuickAdjust, Sound Innovation, and Volume Logic are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
