Plantronics Press Room

Plantronics Wins Prestigious Best of CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Award

kauby — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:25 +0000

Plantronics Savi Office Recognized for Unifying Voice Communications and Multimedia with Brilliant Audio Quality and One-Touch Simplicity

New York, New York – November 10, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc (NYSE: PLT), the world leader in communication headsets for over 48 years, today announced that the Savi™ Office Wireless Headset System has been named a Best of International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Winner in the Headphones category. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by an esteemed panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge products across 36 product categories.

Unified Communications Made Simple

Plantronics Savi Office is a multi-function wireless headset system for Unified Communications that enables calling from both desk phones and computer softphones (VoIP). Savi Office supports softphone applications from leading providers, including Avaya, Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft, and other popular services, such as Google Talk and Skype with high-end wideband audio

In addition to basic call switching, Savi Office delivers advanced call control that enables the audio from the desk phone and the computer to be put on hold, muted or mixed together for easy conferencing. The system supports leading multimedia players so users can also listen to music and videos without missing a call. Savi Office uses the DECT™ 6.0 voice-dedicated frequency, providing users 350-feet of range from the base. Savi Office features adaptive power, meaning the headset uses less battery power when it is closer to the base system.

“Nearly 50 years of design and engineering innovations have gone into creating Savi Office,” said Elizabeth Bastiaanse Hamren, vice president of Product Marketing at Plantronics. “The CES Innovations Award further establishes that the distinctions between consumer and enterprise products are becoming increasingly blurred. Today’s workers demand business-class audio quality and reliability combined with the ease-of-use and styling of consumer devices.”

CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards

The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976. They are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®, the producer of the International CES, the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the voice of industrial design, committed to advancing the profession through education, information, community and advocacy.

Plantronics Savi Office will be displayed at the 2010 International CES, which runs January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase will feature honorees by product category in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center and will also be featured at CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES on Tuesday, January 5.

The Innovations entries are judged based on the following criteria:

Engineering qualities, based on technical specs and materials used

Aesthetic and design qualities, using photos provided

The product’s intended use/function and user value

Unique/novel features that consumers would find attractive

How the design and innovation of the product compares to other products in the marketplace

Products chosen as an Innovations honoree reflect innovative design and engineering of the entries. Examples may include the first time various technologies are combined in a single product or dramatic enhancements to previous product designs.

Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering honoree products are featured on www.CESweb.org/Innovations, which lists product categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer, description, photo and URL.

Three Plantronics Bluetooth Headsets Honored with CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards

lmoore — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:24 +0000

Industry Accolades Continue for Plantronics Discovery 975, Plantronics Voyager PRO and BackBeat 903

SANTA CRUZ, CA – November 10, 2009 — Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), the world leader in communication headsets for over 48 years, today announced that three of its latest Bluetooth® products have been named CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honorees in four competitive categories. The Plantronics Discovery® 975 Bluetooth Earpiece was recognized in the Wireless Handsets Accessories and In-Vehicle Accessories categories, the Plantronics Voyager® PRO Bluetooth Headset was recognized in the Wireless Handsets Accessories category and the BackBeat™ 903 Stereo Headphones in the Headphones category.

“Plantronics prides itself on developing products that exceed consumers’ expectations and provide unparalleled audio combined with great usability, comfort and style,” said Elizabeth Bastiaanse Hamren, vice president of product marketing at Plantronics. “These honors are a testament to our relentless focus on meeting customer needs and continually breaking new ground in Bluetooth headsets through innovative audio technologies and designs.”

All of Plantronics’ Innovations Honoree products will be on display during the 2010 International CES, January 7-10, in the Plantronics Booth #1 21922 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Plantronics’ CES Innovations Honoree products for 2009 include:

Plantronics Voyager PRO

The Plantronics Voyager PRO headset provides the industry’s most advanced noise-canceling and wind noise reduction technology. Winner of the coveted Editors’ Choice awards from CNET and PC Magazine, the Plantronics Voyager PRO features AudioIQ², next generation digital signal processing (DSP) technology, to deliver superior noise and wind cancellation as well as rich, natural inbound audio so you can hear and be heard clearly. Ideal for mobile professionals, Plantronics Voyager PRO is extremely comfortable and the battery provides up to six hours of talk time before having to recharge.

Plantronics Discovery 975

The Plantronics Discovery 975 headset, also a CNET Editor’s Choice award winner, is the perfect blend of innovative design and advanced audio technology. It provides ingeniously simple one-touch controls and is perfect for quick on/off wearing. The sleek, elegant design houses sophisticated technology, including AudioIQ² DSP technology with dual-microphones to cancel background noise and three layers of WindSmart® technology to minimize wind noise. It comes with an innovative rechargeable carrying case with LCD screen that can triple talk time from 5 hours to up to 15 hours.

Plantronics BackBeat 903

Designed for active lifestyles, the BackBeat 903 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones provide wireless stereo music listening and calls in a light, flexible, behind-the-neck wearing style. The BackBeat 903 Headphones combine audio and voice technologies from Plantronics and Altec Lansing to provide brilliant, full-spectrum stereo sound and call support for most music-enabled mobile phones, including the Apple iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre and new Verizon Droid.

To learn more about Plantronics headsets, please visit: www.plantronics.com.

About the International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards

The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program recognizes the most innovative consumer electronics (CE) products in the industry’s hottest product categories. Innovations has become a hallmark for the best designed products in consumer technology. The honorees are featured during the 2010 International CES in a special display.

Innovations honoree products are featured on www.CESweb.org/Innovations, where you can see a list of product categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer, description, photo and URL. Honorees for the Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Showcase are selected by a preeminent panel of judges consisting of independent industry designers, engineers and journalists.

About Plantronics

Plantronics is a world leader in personal audio communications for professionals and consumers. From unified communication solutions to Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers unparalleled audio experiences and quality that reflect our nearly 50 years of innovation and customer commitment. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100 and is the headset of choice for air traffic control, 911 dispatch and the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

Plantronics, AudioIQ², BackBeat, Plantronics Discovery, Plantronics Voyager, and WindSmart are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Plantronics completa su cartera de comunicaciones unificadas con el premiado auricular Bluetooth Voyager PRO

atarabout — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:20:04 +0000

El nuevo Plantronics Voyager PRO UC ofrece una calidad de sonido y una facilidad de uso inigualables para teléfonos virtuales y móviles

Madrid, 2 de noviembre de 2009: Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) aumenta hoy su creciente cartera de auriculares inalámbricos para comunicaciones unificadas (UC, por sus siglas en inglés) con el nuevo auricular Voyager® PRO UC. El Voyager PRO UC combina el premiado auricular Voyager PRO Bluetooth® de Plantronics con un adaptador USB Bluetooth plug-and-play que ofrece un mejor sonido de banda ancha para teléfonos virtuales junto con la excelente anulación de ruido y viento del Voyager PRO para tanto en teléfonos móviles como virtuales.

Simplicidad Plug-and-Play, menor gasto en asistencia técnica
El auricular Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics incluye un adaptador USB Bluetooth plug-and-play que reduce el gasto en asistencia técnica eliminando los complicados procesos de instalación de software. El usuario inserta el adaptador en su PC y puede empezar a hablar inmediatamente. El auricular ofrece un sonido de alta calidad con banda ancha de llamada para aplicaciones de telefonía virtual de destacados proveedores como Avaya, Cisco, IBM y Microsoft y otros servicios muy conocidos como Google Talk y Skype. El auricular Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics funciona con tecnología multipunto que permite a los usuarios alternar llamadas de teléfono móvil y PC con solo pulsar un botón.

El Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics incluye el software PerSono® Suite, que proporciona funciones de respuesta/fin de llamada, volumen y modo silencio con los teléfonos virtuales y gestiona el sonido del PC, como por ejemplo la música, mensajería unificada y seminarios virtuales. El aviso de llamadas notifica la entrada de llamadas en el teléfono virtual mientras el usuario escucha audio en streaming, y un solo botón en el auricular le permite responder o finalizar dichas llamadas. El software PerSono Suite también incluye la posibilidad de configurar opciones para que los usuarios puedan personalizar el sistema y elegir tonos, nivel de volumen y gestión de medios, como por ejemplo pausar la música cuando cogen una llamada.

«El auricular Voyager PRO UC se diseñó para el creciente número de profesionales en movimiento que dependen de las comunicaciones unificadas para seguir conectados», afirmó Gonzalo Llorente, director de Marketing de Plantronics Iberia. «Puesto que el auricular funciona con aplicaciones UC y teléfonos móviles, los profesionales en movimiento ya no necesitan compaginar varios auriculares: pueden obtener una calidad de sonido superior con un solo dispositivo», añade Llorente.

«Prevemos que la adopción de las comunicaciones unificadas cambiará radicalmente el panorama tradicional de las infraestructuras de comunicación en las empresas de todo el mundo. Los teléfonos de sobremesa se volverán innecesarios para muchos trabajadores de la información puesto que los portátiles con teléfono virtual se están convirtiendo en las herramientas de comunicación por excelencia», comentó Steve Blood, vicepresidente de estudios de Gartner. «Los auriculares se convertirán en una herramienta fundamental de comunicación para colaboradores y podrían convertirse en obligatorios debido a políticas de salud y seguridad en el trabajo».

Un auricular de premio, diseñado para ofrecer un sonido de alta calidad
CNET y PC Magazine han otorgado el codiciado premio Editors’ Choice (el favorito del redactor) al Voyager PRO de Plantronics por ofrecer una calidad de sonido, comodidad y usabilidad increíbles. El Voyager PRO funciona con tecnología AudioIQ2, la última generación de la tecnología AudioIQ® de procesamiento digital de señales (DSP) de Plantronics, reforzada por un excepcional micrófono dual y ajustable. Este micrófono cuenta con la ventaja de capturar la voz cerca de la boca del usuario para que la tecnología AudioIQ2 pueda eliminar el ruido del ambiente de manera más eficaz a la par que mantiene el sonido natural de su voz. El auricular Voyager PRO UC también emplea tecnología de sonido de banda ancha para ofrecer una calidad superior para PC y aplicaciones de teléfono virtual.

El Voyager PRO de Plantronics incorpora tres capas de tecnología WindSmart® para reducir la distorsión del viento al mínimo. Los protectores externos y micrófono dual, de acero inoxidable, y el tejido acústico que lo recubre proporcionan unas barreras físicas considerables contra el ruido del viento. Al mismo tiempo, la tecnología AudioIQ2 separa inteligentemente la voz del viento para ofrecer un sonido claro al interlocutor.

El auricular Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics también ofrece una calidad de sonido entrante excepcional para garantizar que ambos participantes en la conversación oigan cada palabra perfectamente. Incorpora un altavoz especialmente adaptado con sonido de amplio espectro que hace que las conversaciones sean mejores y más inteligibles. El ecualizador adaptable de 20 bandas emite un sonido nítido, sin distorsiones, y funciona con tecnología AudioIQ2 para poder ajustar el sonido automáticamente a unos niveles cómodos basados en el nivel de ruido del entorno circundante para garantizar la mejor audibilidad.

Precios y disponibilidad
El Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics estará disponible en noviembre en distribuidores autorizados y establecimientos de material de oficina. El auricular Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics tiene un precio recomendado de 139 euros. Si desea una lista completa de teléfonos virtuales compatible, visite www.plantronics.com/personosuite. Si desea más información acerca del Voyager PRO UC de Plantronics, visite www.plantronics.com/voyagerprouc.

Plantronics erweitert Unified Communications Portfolio mit Bluetooth-Headset

atarabout — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:19:41 +0000

Mit dem neuen Headset Voyager Pro UC von Plantronics vereinfacht sich der nahtlose Einsatz mit Unified Communications und Mobiltelefonen

Hürth, 02.11.2009 – Mit dem neuen Voyager Pro UC stellt Plantronics heute ein für den Einsatz mit Unified Communications (UC) entwickeltes Modell der Voyager-Reihe vor. Der mitgelieferte Bluetooth-USB-Sprachadapter ermöglicht einfaches Plug & Play: Das Voyager Pro UC kann schnell und problemlos sowohl für UC-Anwendungen, VoIP als auch mit dem Mobiltelefon genutzt werden. Mittels Multipoint-Technologie können dabei zwei Bluetooth-Geräte gleichzeitig aktiv verwendet und bequem zwischen beiden Geräten gewechselt werden.

Mit dem Voyager Pro UC erweitert Plantronics sein wachsendes Portfolio an UC-Produkten. Das für die Nutzung mit Mobiltelefon und UC-Anwendungen gleichermaßen optimierte Headset schließt dabei eine entscheidende Lücke. Durch das vielseitige Anwendungsspektrum ist das Voyager Pro UC vor allem für professionelle Nutzer interessant, die zwischen verschiedenen Kommunikationslösungen hin und her wechseln müssen und dabei nicht auf Sprachqualität verzichten möchten.

Das Voyager Pro UC nutzt die innovative Noise-Cancelling-Technologie der Voyager-Reihe, um Umweltgeräusche auf ein Minimum zu reduzieren. Plantronics hat hierfür eine dreistufige Lösung entwickelt. Das Voyager PRO nutzt eine Mikrofonummantelung aus rostfreiem Stahl und eine GORE-Membran für zusätzlichen akustischen Schutz, zwei Mikrofone und elektronische Filter. AudioIQ², die zweite Generation der AudioIQ-Noise-Cancelling-Technologie mit digitaler Signalverarbeitung (Digital Signal Processing, DSP) von Plantronics, sorgt für erstklassige Klangqualität. Die intelligente Technologie passt die Lautstärke automatisch dem Geräuschpegel in der Umgebung an und erkennt den Unterschied zwischen Stimme und Hintergrundgeräuschen. Diese werden herausgefiltert und nur die Stimme übertragen. Ausgezeichnete Inbound-Audio-Qualität garantiert, dass auch der Headset-Nutzer selbst seinen Gesprächspartner einwandfrei versteht.

Das Headset Voyager Pro UC ist als Standardversion für alle gängigen Softphones von führenden Anbietern wie z.B. Avaya, Cisco, IBM und Dienste wie Google Talk oder Skype sowie als Microsoft-zertifizierte Version für Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 erhältlich. Die mitgelieferte Software PerSono Suite ermöglicht die Anrufsteuerung und Anrufbenachrichtigung über das Headset.

Preise und Verfügbarkeit in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz
Das Plantronics Voyager Pro UC ist ab Ende November für 129,00 Euro (Preis exkl. MwSt.) im Handel erhältlich.

Vertriebsinformationen für Österreich
Der Vertrieb in Österreich erfolgt durch die Eltax Elektro- und Kommunikationstechnik GmbH.
Mehr Informationen unter www.eltax.at.

Vertriebsinformationen für die Schweiz:
Der Vertrieb in der Schweiz erfolgt durch die Hama Technics AG.
Mehr Informationen unter www.hama.ch.

Plantronics – the Voice of Unified Communications
Unified Communications verbinden verschiedene Kommunikationsmedien wie Instant Messaging, IP-Telefonie und klassische Telekommunikation, und bietet Unternehmen die Möglichkeit einer integrierten und intuitiv ablaufenden Bürokommunikation. Plantronics bietet für Unified Communications umfangreiche schnurlose und schnurgebundene Produktfamilien. Bekannt für ihre Klangqualität, Verlässlichkeit und guten Komfort, helfen die Lösungen von Plantronics, die Vorteile von Unified Communications unternehmensweit zu nutzen. Dies verbessert die Kommunikation des Unternehmens und erhöht die Effizienz – unabhängig vom Ort des Arbeitsplatzes der Angestellten.

Plantronics komt met nieuwe UC-headset

atarabout — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:19:04 +0000

Gartner: ‘Headsets worden een cruciaal communicatie-instrument en kunnen verplicht gesteld worden vanwege gezondheidsredenen’

Hoofddorp, 2 november 2009 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) heeft vandaag zijn groeiende portfolio met draadloze headsets voor Unified Communications (UC) uitgebreid met de nieuwe Plantronics Voyager® PRO UC headset. Voyager PRO UC combineert de Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth® headset, die menig award in de wacht sleepte, met een plug-and-play Bluetooth USB-adapter. De headset levert rijke wideband audio op softphones en bezit technologie waardoor op zowel mobiele telefoons als softphones verstoringen door de wind en omgevingsgeluiden worden gereduceerd.

“De Voyager PRO UC headset is ontworpen voor het groeiend aantal mobiele professionals dat vertrouwt op unified communications”, zegt Kristie van den Broek, marketingmanager Benelux en Nordics bij Plantronics “Omdat de headset met zowel UC-applicaties als met mobiele telefoons werkt, hoeven mobiele professionals niet langer te worstelen met meerdere headsets. Ze kunnen profiteren van superieure audiokwaliteit via een apparaat.”

Plug-and-Play simplicity verlaagt helpdesk-kosten
De Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset is voorzien van een plug-and-play Bluetooth USB-adapter. Hierdoor zijn omslachtige software setup-processen verleden tijd en kunnen kosten voor het inschakelen van een helpdesk worden verlaagd. Gebruikers steken de adapter in hun PC en kunnen direct starten. De headset levert high-end audio via softphone-applicaties van toonaangevende providers zoals Avaya, Cisco, IBM, en Microsoft, en andere populaire diensten zoals Google Talk en Skype. De headset ondersteunt multipoint-technologie waardoor gebruikers eenvoudig, namelijk met een druk op de knop, kunnen wisselen tussen telefoongesprekken op hun mobiele telefoon en gesprekken via de pc.

De PerSono® Suite software zorgt voor het aannemen en beëindigen van gesprekken, volume, mute, en regelt PC audio, zoals muziek, unified messaging en webinars. Een signaal geeft aan wanneer een gesprek via de softphone binnenkomt terwijl er naar muziek wordt geluisterd. Met een druk op de knop kunnen gebruikers gesprekken aannemen of beëindigen. De software omvat tevens mogelijkheden voor personalisatie met de keuze van ringtones, volumeniveau, en mediamanagement, zoals het pauzeren van muziek bij aanname van een gesprek.

“Wij voorspellen dat de adoptie van Unified Communications grote veranderingen met zich meebrengt voor het traditionele communicatielandschap en de -infrastructuur binnen bedrijven over de hele wereld. Vaste telefoons worden voor veel kenniswerkers overbodig aangezien zij kiezen voor laptops met smartphones”, verklaart Steve Blood, Research vice president bij Gartner. “Headsets worden een cruciaal communicatie-instrument voor medewerkers en kunnen verplicht worden vanwege het gezondheids- en veiligheidsbeleid.”

De prijswinnende draadloze Voyager PRO: ontworpen voor geluidskwaliteit
CNET en PC Magazine gaven de Plantronics Voyager PRO de felbegeerde Editors’ Choice Awards voor het bieden van ongeëvenaarde audiokwaliteit, comfort en usability. De Voyager PRO bezit AudioIQ2-technologie, de nieuwe generatie van Plantronics’ AudioIQ® digital signal processing (DSP) technologie die wordt versterkt door de unieke verstelbare microfoon boom. De boom kan dicht bij de mond worden geplaatst waardoor de AudioIQ2-technologie effectiever omgevingsgeluid kan verminderen terwijl het natuurlijke stemgeluid behouden blijft.

Plantronics Voyager PRO heeft drie lagen WindSmart®-technologie om verstoringen door de wind te reduceren. De microfoon bestaat uit roestvrij staal en biedt samen met de akoestische vormgeving een fysieke barrière voor lawaai door de wind. Tegelijkertijd, ontcijferen de AudioIQ2 DSP algorithmen op intelligente wijze een stem om de persoon aan de andere kant van de lijn duidelijk en helder stemgeluid te bieden.

Tenslotte biedt de Voyager PRO onovertroffen inbound audiokwaliteit om te verzekeren dat ieder woord duidelijk te horen is. De 20 bandequaliser biedt audio zonder vervorming en werkt met AudioIQ2 om het geluidsniveau automatisch aan te passen op basis van het omringende lawaainiveau. Hierdoor wordt de maximale hoorbaarheid verzekerd.

Prijs en beschikbaarheid
De Plantronics Voyager PRO UC is beschikbaar vanaf november via de geautoriseerde Plantronics wederverkoper. De MSRP van de Plantronics Voyager PRO UC is 199,95 euro. Een volledige lijst met softphone-applicaties die worden ondersteund, is te vinden op: www.plantronics.com/personosuite. Kijk voor meer informatie over de Plantronics Voyager PRO UC op: www.plantronics.com/voyagerprouc

Plantronics – The Voice of Unified Communications
Plantronics biedt een van meest complete families van bedrade en draadloze producten voor unified communications. De oplossingen van Plantronics worden op brede schaal erkend dankzij hun geluidskwaliteit, betrouwbaarheid en comfort. De audio-oplossingen helpen bedrijven de voordelen van IP-communicatie door de hele onderneming uit te breiden en betere business communicatie en efficiëntie te bevorderen, ongeacht waar iemand werkt.

Plantronics Adds Award-Winning Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset to Unified Communications Portfolio

atarabout — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:17:44 +0000

New Plantronics Voyager PRO UC Delivers Unparalleled Audio Quality and Ease-of-Use for Softphones and Mobile Phones

Cannes, France – November 2, 2009 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) today expanded its growing portfolio of wireless headsets for Unified Communications (UC) with the new Plantronics Voyager® PRO UC headset. Voyager PRO UC combines Plantronics’ award-winning Voyager PRO Bluetooth® headset with a plug-and-play Bluetooth USB adapter to deliver richer wideband audio on softphones along with Voyager PRO’s superior noise and wind cancellation on both mobile phones and softphones.

“The Voyager PRO UC headset was designed for the growing number of mobile professionals who rely on unified communications to stay connected,” said Gunjan Bhow, vice president and general manager of Unified Communications at Plantronics “Because the headset works with both UC applications and mobile phones, mobile professionals no longer need to juggle multiple headsets. They can get superior audio quality with one device.”

Plug-and-Play Simplicity, Reduced Help Desk Costs
The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset features a plug-and-play Bluetooth USB adapter that reduces Help Desk support costs by eliminating cumbersome software setup processes. Users insert the adapter into their PC and can start talking immediately. The headset delivers high-end audio with wideband calling through softphone applications from leading providers, including Avaya, Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft, and other popular services, such as Google Talk and Skype. Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset supports multipoint technology that allows users to switch between their mobile phone calls and PC calls with the touch of a button.

Plantronics Voyager PRO UC includes the PerSono® Suite software providing call answer/end, volume and mute with supported softphones and manages PC audio, such as music, unified messaging and webinars, Call alert provides notification of incoming softphone calls while listening to streaming audio and a single button on the headset lets users answer/end calls. PerSono Suite software also includes feature setting capabilities so users can personalize the system with choice of ring tones, volume levels, and media management, such as pausing music when taking a call.

“We predict that the adoption of Unified Communications is set to significantly change the traditional communication landscape and infrastructure within businesses across the globe. Desk telephones for many knowledge workers will become redundant, as laptops with smartphones become the communication tools of choice” comments Steve Blood, Research vice president at Gartner, “Headsets will become essential communication tools for collaborators and could become mandatory, because of health and safety policies”.

The Award-Winning Voyager PRO wireless headset: Engineered for Sound Quality
CNET and PC Magazine have bestowed coveted Editors’ Choice Awards on the Plantronics Voyager PRO for delivering unparalleled audio quality, comfort and usability. Voyager PRO features AudioIQ2 technology, the next generation of Plantronics’ AudioIQ® digital signal processing (DSP) technology that is enhanced by a unique adjustable dual-microphone boom. The boom provides the advantage of capturing your voice close to your mouth so the AudioIQ2 technology can more effectively remove ambient noise, while still maintaining the natural sound of your voice. The Voyager PRO UC headset also uses wideband audio technology to provide richer sound quality for PC audio including softphone applications.

Plantronics Voyager PRO features three layers of WindSmart® technology to minimize wind distortion. Dual external stainless steel microphone screens and acoustic fabrics that surround the microphones provide substantial physical barriers to wind noise. At the same time, AudioIQ2 technology intelligently deciphers your voice from the wind to deliver clear sound to your listener.

The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset also delivers unmatched inbound audio quality to ensure every word is heard on both sides of a conversation. It features a custom speaker that delivers full-spectrum audio so conversations are richer and more vibrant. The adaptive 20-band equalizer delivers distortion-free audio and works with AudioIQ2 technology to automatically adjust sound to comfortable levels based on the noise level around you to ensure maximum audibility.

Availability
The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC is available in November through authorized resellers and office supply retailers. For a complete list of supported softphone applications, please visit: www.plantronics.com/personosuite. To learn more about Plantronics Voyager PRO UC please visit: www.plantronics.com/voyagerprouc

Plantronics — The Voice of Unified Communications™
Plantronics offers one of the industry’s most complete families of corded and wireless products for unified communications. Widely recognized for their sound quality, reliability and comfort, Plantronics’ audio solutions help companies extend the benefits of IP communications throughout the extended enterprise, fostering better business communication and efficiency regardless of where professionals are working.

La qualità audio di Voyager PRO al servizio della Unified Communication: arriva Voyager PRO UC

atarabout — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:16:47 +0000

Plantronics lancia la nuova versione del pluripremiato Voyager PRO, dedicata a tutti i professionisti che utilizzano smartphones e softphones

Cannes, 2 novembre 2009 - Plantronics espande ulteriormente il suo portfolio di prodotti dedicati alla Unified Communication: Plantronics Voyager Pro UC è il nuovo auricolare studiato dall’azienda californiana, che unisce le innovative caratteristiche di Voyager Pro alle potenzialità offerte dal nuovo adattatore USB bluetooth, creato per garantire comunicazioni wideband di elevata qualità tramite softphone.

“Voyager Pro UC è stato creato per soddisfare le molteplici esigenze espresse dai professionisti mobile, un segmento di lavoratori in costante crescita negli ultimi anni” sottolinea Gunjan Bhow, Vice President e General Manager della divisione Unified Communication di Plantronics. “Il nuovo Voyager Pro può essere utilizzato indifferentemente sia con applicazioni UC che con il telefono cellulare, rendendo più semplice il compito di coloro che hanno la necessità di passare rapidamente da una piattaforma all’altra, senza dover cambiare la cuffia utilizzata”.

Semplicità plug&play e riduzione dei costi
Il nuovo adattatore USB funziona secondo la logica plug&play: basterà collegarlo al proprio PC per cominciare a sfruttare al massimo la cuffia, senza perdere tempo nella configurazione di programmi specifici. La cuffia garantisce subito un miglioramento delle prestazioni lavorative, fornendo un audio di elevatissima qualità. Voyager PRO UC è perfettamente compatibile con i software UC realizzati dai maggiori produttori, quali Avaya, Cisco, IBM e Microsoft, o altri popolari servizi gratuiti come Google Talk e Skype.
La tecnologia multipoint, consente di passare senza difficoltà dal PC al telefono cellulare, tramite la semplice pressione di un tasto.

Plantronics Voyager Pro UC viene venduto assieme alla suite software PerSono, per controllare più agevolmente le funzioni di chiamata e poter regolare l’audio del proprio PC di conseguenza. La funzione “Call Alert” è utile per notificare all’utente le chiamate in ingresso sul softphone, consentendo di interrompere senza difficoltà l’ascolto di musica in cuffia. Grazie a PerSono, gli utenti sono inoltre in grado di personalizzare il più possibile le funzioni e l’utilizzo del proprio auricolare, scegliendo suonerie, livello del volume e gestendo la riproduzione dei file multimediali durante le chiamate.
“L’adozione sempre più massiccia di sistemi di Unified Communication cambierà in modo significativo la tradizionale comunicazione d’azienda - commenta Steve Blood, Research Vice President di Gartner - I tradizionali telefoni da scrivania diverranno presto superflui, sostituiti da PC e Smartphone. Le cuffie saranno perciò sempre di più uno strumento fondamentale: la loro adozione potrebbe anche divenire obbligata, nel rispetto delle nuove policy aziendali legate a salute e sicurezza”.

Voyager PRO: qualità audio garantita
Voyager PRO si distingue dai principali concorrenti grazie a caratteristiche che lo rendono assolutamente unico, come la tecnologia AudioIQ2, il nuovo metodo di digital processing dell’audio studiato da Plantronics. La particolare asta del microfono utilizzata, infatti, consente di catturare la voce più vicina alla sorgente, consentendo così una rimozione ancora più efficace del rumore ambientale, pur mantenendo la naturalezza del suono delle voce. Voyager PRO UC, d’altra parte, è studiato per garantire una qualità audio Wideband, per un risultato ancora più ricco, qualora si utilizzino applicazioni softphone su PC.
Plantronics Voyager PRO sfrutta inoltre la tecnologia WindSmart, per minimizzare il disturbo del vento sulle comunicazioni.

Tutto questo fa si che le conversazioni telefoniche siano sempre perfettamente limpide ed intelligibili, sia in uscita, sia in entrata, grazie ad uno speaker in grado di riprodurre suoni sempre naturali. L’equalizzatore a 20 bande, è in grado di adattare il suono di uscita a seconda delle situazioni, riducendo eventuali distorsioni del segnale.

Prezzo e disponibilità
Voyager PRO UC di Plantronics è disponibile a partire dal mese di novembre, ad un prezzo di 139 €. Per avere maggiori informazioni su Voyager PRO UC è possibile visitare il sito www.plantronics.com/voyagerprouc

Plantronics Adds Award-Winning Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset to Unified Communications Portfolio

kauby — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:22:18 +0000

Santa Cruz – November 2, 2009 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) today expanded its growing portfolio of wireless headsets for Unified Communications (UC) with the new Plantronics Voyager® PRO UC headset. Voyager PRO UC combines Plantronics’ award-winning Voyager PRO Bluetooth® headset with a plug-and-play Bluetooth USB adapter to deliver richer wideband audio on softphones along with Voyager PRO’s superior noise and wind cancellation on both mobile phones and softphones.

“The Voyager PRO UC headset was designed for the growing number of mobile professionals who rely on unified communications to stay connected,” said Gunjan Bhow, vice president and general manager of Unified Communications at Plantronics. “Because the headset works with both UC applications and mobile phones, mobile professionals no longer need to juggle multiple headsets. They can get superior audio quality with one device.”

Plug-and-Play Simplicity, Reduced Help Desk Costs

The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset features a plug-and-play Bluetooth USB adapter that reduces Help Desk support costs by eliminating cumbersome software setup processes. Users insert the adapter into their PC and can start talking immediately. The headset delivers high-end audio with wideband calling through softphone applications from leading providers, including Avaya, Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft, and other popular services, such as Google Talk and Skype. The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset supports multipoint technology that allows users to switch between their mobile phone calls and PC calls with the touch of a button.

Plantronics Voyager PRO UC includes the PerSono® Suite software providing call answer/end, volume and mute with supported softphones and manages PC audio, such as music, unified messaging and webinars. Call alert provides notification of incoming softphone calls while listening to streaming audio and a single button on the headset lets users answer/end calls. PerSono Suite software also includes feature setting capabilities so users can personalize the system with choice of ring tones, volume levels, and media management, such as pausing music when taking a call.

“We predict that the adoption of Unified Communications is set to significantly change the traditional communication landscape and infrastructure within businesses across the globe. Desk telephones for many knowledge workers will become redundant, as laptops with smartphones become the communication tools of choice,” comments Steve Blood, Research vice president at Gartner. “Headsets will become essential communication tools for collaborators and could become mandatory, because of health and safety policies.”

The Award-Winning Voyager PRO wireless headset: Engineered for Sound Quality

CNET and PC Magazine have bestowed coveted Editors’ Choice Awards on the Plantronics Voyager PRO for delivering unparalleled audio quality, comfort and usability. Voyager PRO features AudioIQ2 technology, the next generation of Plantronics’ AudioIQ® digital signal processing (DSP) technology that is enhanced by a unique adjustable dual-microphone boom. The boom provides the advantage of capturing your voice close to your mouth so the AudioIQ2 technology can more effectively remove ambient noise, while still maintaining the natural sound of your voice. The Voyager PRO UC headset also uses wideband audio technology to provide richer sound quality for PC audio including softphone applications.

Pricing and Availability

The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC is available in November through authorized resellers and office supply retailers such as Staples.com and OfficeDepot.com. The Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset system has a suggested retail price of $199.95. For a complete list of supported softphone applications, please visit: www.plantronics.com/personosuite. To learn more about Plantronics Voyager PRO UC please visit: www.plantronics.com/voyagerprouc

Plantronics — The Voice of Unified Communications™

Plantronics offers one of the industry’s most complete families of corded and wireless products for unified communications. Widely recognized for their sound quality, reliability and comfort, Plantronics’ audio solutions help companies extend the benefits of IP communications throughout the extended enterprise, fostering better business communication and efficiency regardless of where professionals are working.

AudioIQ, AudioIQ2, PerSono Suite, Plantronics, Plantronics Voyager PRO, Sound Innovation, The Voice of Unified Communications, and WindSmart are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.

Plantronics Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 Results

inolan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:04:00 +0000

Second Quarter Revenues and EPS Exceed Guidance; Company Achieves Targeted Gross & Operating Margins

SANTA CRUZ, CA - October 27, 2009 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced second quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues of $167.4 million compared with $216.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2009. Net revenues were above the previously provided guidance of $155 million to $160 million. Plantronics’ GAAP loss per share was $0.02 in the second quarter of fiscal 2010, primarily due to non-cash asset impairment charges, compared with diluted earnings per share of $0.36 in the same quarter of the prior year. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 were $0.40 compared with $0.44 in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 and were greater than the previously provided non-GAAP guidance of $0.27 to $0.32. The difference between GAAP and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 includes a $15.6 million impairment charge, net of tax on our Audio Entertainment Group (”AEG”) long-lived assets, restructuring and other related costs, purchase accounting amortization and the cost of stock-based compensation.

Plantronics also announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share. The dividend is payable on December 10, 2009 to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 20, 2009.

“Revenues were above expectations as we experienced stable demand in our Office & Contact Center business and increased demand in our consumer markets. Our improved cost structure allowed us to achieve our long-term targeted gross and operating margins at the current revenue level,” stated Ken Kannappan, President & CEO. “Our new corporate organizational structure along with the pending sale of Altec Lansing, our AEG segment, will produce better and more efficient corporate alignment to target our top market opportunity, Unified Communications (”UC”), providing an excellent earnings growth opportunity ahead as UC adoption becomes more substantial”.

Audio Communications Group (ACG) Non-GAAP Results

(Office & Contact Center, Mobile, Gaming and Computer & Clarity)

Comparisons are to the Same Quarter in the Prior Year

Second quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues of $144.4 million decreased 26% compared with $195.3 million in the prior year quarter, but increased 2% from $141.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2010. General economic weakness led to declines in net revenues in all major geographies and most product groups compared with the prior year quarter. Revenues in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Latin America regions improved sequentially.

Office and Contact Center net revenues were $93.5 million, a decrease of 22% from $119.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 and a sequential decrease of 3% from $95.9 million in the prior quarter. Bluetooth headset net revenues were $33.3 million, a decrease of 42% from the year ago quarter of $57.4 million, and a sequential increase of 10% from $30.3 million. The prior year quarter was stronger in part due to higher demand driven by hands-free legislation in California and Washington states which was partially offset by higher average selling prices in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. The Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset, introduced during the quarter, received positive editorial and consumer reviews and is now available through a number of top consumer electronics retailers.

Gross margin in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 was 48.7% compared with 47.9% in the second quarter of the prior year. The improvement was primarily due to a favorable product mix, lower freight costs, and lower requirements for excess and obsolete inventory provisions, partially offset by higher manufacturing costs as a result of lower production volumes.

Actions taken by the Company earlier this calendar year continued to have a beneficial effect, with operating expenses down by 22% from $55.6 million in the prior year quarter to $43.6 million in the current quarter. As a result of the leaner cost structure, operating income was $26.7 million resulting in an 18.5% operating margin. While these results were down from the second quarter in the prior year, the results are within the Company’s long term target model for this business.

The Company continues to believe that the implementation of UC technologies by large corporations will be a significant long-term driver of office headset adoption, and, as a result, a key long-term driver of revenue and profit growth. Our UC portfolio continued to enjoy strong customer and partner reception. The Company expects that there will be a significantly higher level of growth in UC enabled products compared to headsets for desk phones in the future, and continues to believe that revenue from headset sales related to UC will be material to the Company beginning in fiscal 2011.

Audio Entertainment Group (AEG) Non-GAAP Results

(Docking Audio, PC Audio & Other)

Comparisons are to the Same Quarter in the Prior Year

Second quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues of $23.0 million increased 7% from $21.5 million in the prior year quarter driven by higher sales of Docking Audio products in all major geographies, and were up 21% sequentially from $19.0 million in the prior quarter. In addition, we experienced higher PC Audio sales in Asia and EMEA, which were offset by lower PC Audio sales in the U.S.

Gross margin increased to 20.9% from 9.0% as a result of improved product mix and margins along with lower requirements for excess and obsolete inventory provisions. This was partially offset by higher freight charges, royalty costs and other manufacturing costs.

Operating expenses declined by 12% from $6.5 million in the prior year quarter to $5.7 million in the current quarter, and the operating loss decreased from $4.6 million in the prior year quarter to $0.9 million in the current quarter.

On October 2, 2009, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement to sell Altec Lansing, its AEG segment, to an affiliate of Prophet Equity LP, a Southlake, Texas based private equity firm (”Prophet”). On October 23, 2009, the Company and Prophet entered into a letter agreement which amended the Asset Purchase Agreement to provide that the closing date for the sale of the AEG segment will be extended to not later than December 1, 2009.

Subsequent to the closing of the sale of the AEG segment, the Company will report all future and historical AEG segment results as discontinued operations in its financial statements beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2010.

Business Outlook

Continuing Operations (Excludes Audio Entertainment Group business segment due to pending sale expected to be completed no later than December 1, 2009)

The following statements are based on current expectations. As described in “Safe Harbor” below, many of these statements are forward-looking. Actual results are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and may differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

Plantronics has a “book and ship” business model whereby it ships most orders to customers within 48 hours of its receipt of those orders, and, therefore, the level of backlog does not provide reliable visibility into potential future revenues. The Company’s business is inherently difficult to forecast, and there can be no assurance that the incoming orders it expects to receive over the balance of the quarter will materialize. With continuing uncertainty resulting from the global economic conditions, the Company’s business remains difficult to forecast. The December quarter tends to be characterized by an increase in incoming sales orders during October which diminishes in December.

Net revenues in the third quarter of fiscal 2010 are expected to be higher than the second quarter of fiscal 2010 and the third quarter of fiscal 2009, primarily based on the fact that the December quarter has historically been a stronger quarter than the September quarter and the current bookings trend supports our belief that revenues will be in the ranges below.

Subject to the foregoing, we are currently expecting the following range of financial results for continuing operations (excludes AEG due to the pending sale expected to be completed no later than December 1, 2009) for the third quarter of fiscal 2010:

Net revenues of $155 million - $160 million;
Non-GAAP operating income of $26 million to $29 million;
Non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.38 - $0.42;
Non-GAAP consolidated tax rate to be approximately 26%;
The EPS cost of stock-based compensation to be approximately $0.05; and
GAAP earnings per share of $0.33 to $0.37.

If these results are achieved, the performance compared with Q3 Fiscal 2009 would be revenue growth of approximately 2% to 5% and Non-GAAP operating income growth of 189% to 222%.

Plantronics does not intend to update these targets during the quarter or to report on its progress toward these targets. Plantronics will not comment on these targets to analysts or investors except by its next press release announcing its third quarter fiscal 2010 results or by other public disclosure. Any statements by persons outside Plantronics speculating on the progress of the third quarter fiscal 2010 will not be based on internal Company information and should be assessed accordingly by investors.

Conference Call Scheduled to Discuss Actual Financial Results

Plantronics has scheduled a conference call to discuss second quarter fiscal 2010 results. The conference call will take place Tuesday, October 27th at 2:00 PM (PDT). All interested investors and potential investors in Plantronics stock are invited to participate. To listen to the call, please dial in five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled starting time and refer to the “Plantronics Conference Call.” Participants from North America should call (888) 301-8736 and other participants should call (706) 634-7260.

A replay of the call with the conference ID #22257821 will be available for 72 hours at (800) 642-1687 for callers from North America and at (706) 645-9291 for all other callers. The conference call will also be simultaneously web cast at www.plantronics.com under Investor Relations, and the web cast of the conference call will remain available at the Plantronics website for thirty days.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

Plantronics excludes non-recurring transactions and non-cash expenses and charges such as restructuring and other related charges, certain tax credits and the release of certain tax reserves, stock-based compensation expenses related to stock options, awards and employee stock purchases, purchase accounting amortization and impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets from non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP effective tax rate. Plantronics excludes these expenses from its non-GAAP measures primarily because Plantronics does not believe they are reflective of ongoing operating results and are not considered as part of its target operating model. Plantronics believes that the use of non-GAAP financial measures provides meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance and liquidity, and helps investors compare actual results to its long-term target operating model goals. Plantronics believes that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing its performance and when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods.

Safe Harbor

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to (i) implementation of UC technologies by large enterprises as a significant driver of headset adoption, and, its effect on our revenue and profit growth; (ii) our products, including the Discovery 975 and the Savi Office and Savi Go headsets; (iii) revenue from headset sales related to UC and its materiality to the Company beginning in fiscal 2011; (iv) growing adoption and deployment of UC in general and our expectation that this will be advantageous for headset sales; (v) seasonality during the December quarter and its effect on our financial results; (vi) our estimates of GAAP and non-GAAP financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2010, including revenue and earnings per share; (vii) our estimated tax rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2010; (viii) our estimated stock-based compensation expense for the third quarter of fiscal 2010; (ix) the anticipated closing of the sale of the AEG segment no later than December 1, 2009, as well as other matters discussed in this press release that are not purely historical data. Plantronics does not assume any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new developments or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated are:

economic conditions in both the domestic and international markets;
fluctuations in foreign exchange rates;
the bankruptcy or financial weakness of distributors or key customers, or the bankruptcy of or reduction in capacity of our key suppliers;
the effect of restructuring actions on GAAP results;
our ability to realize our UC plans and to achieve the financial results projected to arise from UC adoption could be adversely affected by the following factors: (i) as UC becomes more widely adopted, the risk that competitors will offer solutions that will effectively commoditize our headsets which, in turn, will reduce the sales prices for our headsets; (ii) our plans are dependent upon adoption of our UC solution by major platform providers such as Microsoft, Avaya, IBM and Cisco, and we have a limited ability to influence such providers with respect to the functionality of their platforms, their rate of deployment, and their willingness to integrate their platforms with our solutions; (iii) the development of UC solutions is technically complex and this may delay or obstruct our ability to introduce solutions to the market on a timely basis and that are cost effective, feature rich, stable and attractive to our customers; (iv) as UC becomes more widely adopted we anticipate that competition for market share will increase, and some competitors may have superior technical and economic resources, and (v) UC solutions may not be adopted with the breadth and speed in the marketplace that we currently anticipate;

failure to match production to demand given long lead times and the difficulty of forecasting unit volumes and acquiring the component parts to meet demand without having excess inventory or incurring cancellation charges;

further impairment losses on the carrying value of our intangible assets and goodwill could be recognized if it is determined the value is not recoverable which would adversely affect our financial results;

volatility in prices from our suppliers, including our manufacturers located in China, have and could negatively affect our profitability and/or market share;
the consummation of the sale of the AEG segment is subject to certain closing conditions which may not be met and, in the event the sale does not close, our business may be materially and adversely affected;
in the event the sale of the AEG segment is consummated, the effects of the sale, including the level of cash flow and the timing of the receipt of any cash flow resulting from such sale are uncertain; and
additional risk factors including: interruption in the supply of sole-sourced critical components, continuity of component supply at costs consistent with our plans, the inherent risks of our substantial foreign operations, and problems which might affect our manufacturing facilities in Mexico, and unexpected delays and uncertainties affecting our ability to realize targeted expense reductions and annualized savings by outsourcing the manufacturing of our Bluetooth products in China to GoerTek, Inc.

For more information concerning these and other possible risks, please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed May 26, 2009, quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as recent press releases. These filings can be accessed over the Internet at http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html.

Financial Summaries

The following related charts are provided:

Summary Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
Summary Unaudited Condensed Statements of Operations by Segment
Unaudited GAAP to Non-GAAP Statements of Operations Reconciliations for the three and six months ended September 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008
Summary Unaudited Statements of Operations and Related Data on a Non-GAAP Basis

About Plantronics

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, the logo design and Savi are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth name and the Bluetooth trademarks are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and are used by Plantronics, Inc. under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Award-Winning Plantronics Headsets Help Philadelphia Drivers Comply with New Hands-Free Law

drace — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:04 +0000

Use Your Head, Not Your Hands: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel While Using Mobile Devices

PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 26, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), the world leader in communication headsets for over 48 years, encourages Philadelphia drivers and visitors to prepare for the new hands-free law by educating themselves on the headset options available and following a few simple safety tips. Effective this Saturday, November 1, the city of Philadelphia will ban the use of handheld mobile electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle unless a hands-free device is used.

“Plantronics is pleased to see Philadelphia join the increasing number of municipalities, counties, and states adopting hands-free legislation to help motorists keep both hands on the wheel,” said Elizabeth Bastiaanse Hamren, vice president of Product Marketing at Plantronics. “Complying with the law is easy because users have more options than ever before. Plantronics offers a broad portfolio of headsets that fit a wide range of usage patterns, budgets and personal styles while still providing the first-rate audio quality, comfort, and style that consumers expect from us.”

Today’s busy commuters often make calls on the road using a mobile phone which can cause physical impairments while driving. With the use of headsets, these drivers can continue to enjoy the convenience of talking in the car while keeping both hands on the wheel. Drivers in Philadelphia should consider the following safety tips while using a headset and driving:

Try it out: Test your headset with your phone before you drive. Familiarize yourself with the headset’s controls and adjust the fit and volume. Make sure your headset and phone are connected and store your phone so it is out of your way but still accessible.
Get organized: Make sure frequently called numbers are programmed into your phone. Most phones have voice-dialing; be sure to use this feature so you aren’t fumbling with your phone while driving.
Set it up: Add headset preparation to your pre-driving checklist. Buckle your seatbelt, check your rearview mirror, and put on your headset and make sure it’s connected to your phone before you drive.
Focus on the road: Always remember that driving safely is your first priority. You should focus on the road and only place and receive calls when it’s absolutely necessary.

Best-in-Class Bluetooth Headsets

Among the Bluetooth® headsets available to drivers in Philadelphia are the Plantronics Voyager® PRO and the Plantronics Discovery® 975 headsets.

The Plantronics Voyager PRO provides the industry’s most advanced noise-canceling and wind noise reduction technology. Winner of the coveted Editors’ Choice awards from CNET and PC Magazine, the Plantronics Voyager PRO features AudioIQ², next generation digital signal processing (DSP) technology, to deliver superior noise and wind cancellation as well as rich, natural inbound audio so you can hear and be heard clearly. Ideal for drivers, Plantronics Voyager PRO is extremely comfortable and the battery provides up to six hours of talk time before having to recharge.

The Plantronics Discovery 975 headset, also a CNET Editor’s Choice award winner, is the perfect blend of innovative design and advanced audio technology. It provides ingeniously simple one-touch controls to keep drivers focused on the road, not the headset. The sleek, elegant design houses sophisticated technology, including AudioIQ²DSP technology with dual-microphones to cancel background noise and three layers of WindSmart® technology to minimize wind noise. It comes with an innovative rechargeable carrying case that can triple talk time from 5 hours to up to 15 hours.

Both the Plantronics Voyager PRO and Discovery 975 headsets are available at leading retail and wireless carrier stores nationwide. To learn more about the headsets and see a complete listing of Plantronics’ hands-free products, please visit: www.plantronics.com.

Plantronics recognizes that there are occasions when driving circumstances make talking on a mobile phone – handheld or hands-free – unsafe. In these instances, motorists should pull over or hang up to protect the safety of themselves, their passengers and others on the road.

About Plantronics

AudioIQ2, Plantronics, Plantronics Discovery, Plantronics Voyager and WindSmart are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Award-Winning Plantronics Headsets Are Ideal Choice for Ontario Residents to Comply with New Hands-free Law

asonnenshine — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:18:57 +0000

Use Your Head, Not Your Hands: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel While Using Mobile Devices

TORONTO – October 19, 2009 – Effective October 26, Ontario law mandates the use of hands-free devices when using mobile phones on the road. Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), the world leader in communication headsets for over 48 years, encourages all Ontario drivers to prepare for the new law by educating themselves on the hands-free options available and following a few simple safety tips.

Today’s busy commuters often make calls on the road using a handheld phone which can cause physical impairments while driving. With the use of headsets, these drivers can continue to enjoy the convenience of talking on a cell phone in the car while keeping both hands on the wheel. Ontario’s more than eight million licensed drivers should consider the following safety tips while using a headset and driving:

Practice Makes Perfect: Try using your phone and headset together before you drive. Get to know the controls and adjust the fit. Check the headset settings on your cell phone and store the phone in the car so it’s out of your way but still accessible.
Get Organized: Program all of your frequently called numbers into your phone. That includes your office, your kids’ school and your favorite takeout restaurant. Don’t forget about voice dialing; most phones have that option, so use it as much as possible to avoid becoming distracted by manual dialing while driving.
Set It Up: Just as you check your rearview mirror and buckle your seatbelt before driving, put on your headset and make sure it’s properly connected to your phone.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road: Always remember that your first priority is driving. You should only place and receive calls when it’s absolutely necessary.

“Plantronics offers an array of headset models that fit a wide range of usage patterns, budgets and personal styles while still providing the first-rate audio quality, comfort, and style that consumers expect from us,” said Elizabeth Bastiaanse-Hamren, vice president of Product Marketing at Plantronics. “No matter the hands-free solution they choose, we are glad to know that the citizens of Ontario will now have both hands on the wheel when talking.”

Award-Winning Headset for Ontario Drivers: Plantronics Voyager PRO

Among the headsets available to Ontario drivers is the new Plantronics Voyager® PRO Bluetooth® headset, which provides the industry’s most advanced noise-canceling and wind noise reduction technology. Winner of coveted Editors’ Choice awards from CNET and PC Magazine, the Plantronics Voyager PRO features AudioIQ², the next generation of its digital signal processing (DSP) technology, to deliver superior noise and wind cancellation as well as rich, natural inbound audio so you can hear and be heard clearly. Ideal for drivers, Plantronics Voyager PRO is extremely comfortable and provides six hours of continuous talk time before having to recharge.

The Plantronics Voyager PRO headset is available today at Best Buy Canada and Bell retail stores. The Voyager PRO is coming soon to Telus retail stores. Plantronics headsets are also available at Wal-Mart, Staples, Future Shop, and Rogers Retail stores throughout Ontario. For a complete listing of Plantronics’ products, please visit www.plantronics.com.

About Plantronics

Plantronics, AudioIQ², and Plantronics Voyager are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Award-Winning Plantronics Headsets Are Ideal Choice for Ontario Residents to Comply with New Hands-free Law

asonnenshine — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:18:31 +0000

Use Your Head, Not Your Hands: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel While Using Mobile Devices

Practice Makes Perfect: Try using your phone and headset together before you drive. Get to know the controls and adjust the fit. Check the headset settings on your cell phone and store the phone in the car so it’s out of your way but still accessible.
Get Organized: Program all of your frequently called numbers into your phone. That includes your office, your kids’ school and your favorite takeout restaurant. Don’t forget about voice dialing; most phones have that option, so use it as much as possible to avoid becoming distracted by manual dialing while driving.
Set It Up: Just as you check your rearview mirror and buckle your seatbelt before driving, put on your headset and make sure it’s properly connected to your phone.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road: Always remember that your first priority is driving. You should only place and receive calls when it’s absolutely necessary.

Award-Winning Headset for Ontario Drivers: Plantronics Voyager PRO

About Plantronics

Plantronics is a world leader in personal audio communications for professionals and consumers. From unified communication solutions to Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics deliver

Plantronics lanza el nuevo Discovery 975 Bluetooth, un auricular que aúna un diseño innovador y las últimas tecnologías de anulación de ruido AudioIQ2 y WindSmart

atarabout — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:48:49 +0000

Este nuevo producto es ingeniosamente simple e incluye un estuche de carga con indicador digital que además permite aumentar el tiempo de conversación de 5 a 15 horas

Madrid, 19 de octubre de 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) acaba de presentar el Discovery® 975 Bluetooth®, el nuevo auricular que sustituye al Discovery 925, que recibió muchos elogios por su alta calidad de sonido y su ligero e innovador diseño.

Gracias a este nuevo producto, ahora los usuarios disfrutarán de una experiencia de sonido mejorada con las avanzadas tecnologías AudioIQ2 y WindSmart®, que reproducen una voz natural en entornos muy ruidosos, además de comodidad, durabilidad y una excelente calidad de sonido para quien recibe la llamada.

Gonzalo Llorente, director de marketing para Iberia de Plantronics, ha declarado respecto a este nuevo producto: «Los consumidores esperan una gran anulación de ruido de un auricular de alta gama, pero están hartos de tener que sacrificar la facilidad de manejo, la comodidad y la calidad». Y añade: «En Plantronics hemos empleado casi cinco décadas en perfeccionar todos los aspectos del diseño del auricular, desde la calidad del sonido entrante hasta la capacidad de ajuste. Para aquellos clientes que buscan la combinación perfecta de un diseño innovador y avanzadas tecnologías de sonido, el Discovery 975 supone una solución ingeniosamente simple».

Los mejores resultados del sector
El Discovery 975 incorpora AudioIQ2, la última generación de la tecnología AudioIQ de procesamiento digital de señales de Plantronics, y dos micrófonos para captar con precisión la voz del usuario y al mismo tiempo anular el ruido ambiental. A partir de ahora, no habrá que preocuparse de pulsar botones especiales o activar sensores para poner en marcha la función de anulación de ruidos: AudioIQ2 funciona automáticamente cada vez que el usuario mantiene una conversación.

Además, el Discovery 975 de Plantronics anula el ruido causado por el viento con tecnología WindSmart® , que incorpora una rejilla estriada en el micrófono y un tejido acústico que rodea al micrófono para protegerlo del viento. Asimismo, los filtros electrónicos dentro del AudioIQ2 eliminan el ruido producido por el viento durante las conversaciones y transmiten una voz clara y natural.

El Discovery 975 de Plantronics también ofrece la gran calidad de sonido entrante por la que es conocida la marca. El auricular incluye un ecualizador de 20 bandas adaptable que transmite una voz viva y clara y funciona con AudioIQ2, para ajustar automáticamente las llamadas entrantes a unos niveles de escucha cómodos basados en el nivel de ruido de fondo.

Estuche de carga
Por otra parte, el Discovery 975 viene con un estuche de carga mejorado que puede aumentar el tiempo de conversación de 5 hasta 15 horas a la par que protege y transporta el auricular. Este nuevo estuche incluye una pantalla LCD que muestra los niveles de carga de la batería y el auricular, además de la conectividad Bluetooth. Con el estuche, los usuarios no tienen que preocuparse de encontrar un enchufe constantemente y por fin pueden ver el nivel de carga en su auricular, por lo que nunca se quedarán sin batería en mitad de una llamada.

Experiencia intuitiva y diseño simple
Con tan solo 8 gramos de peso, el Discovery 975 de Plantronics es un auricular ligero que incorpora un micrófono extendido, que capta la voz de forma que suene lo más natural posible. Para un ajuste estable y cómodo que no invade el canal auditivo, el auricular (perfecto para el quita y pon) emplea las mismas almohadillas patentadas que tanto gustaron a los usuarios del Discovery 925. Ahora el nuevo Discovery 975 incluye dos botones para una mayor comodidad de uso: un botón para encender/apagar y para responder/colgar y otro para el control de volumen y la función de silenciador. Además, incorpora avisos de voz cuando la batería está baja, función de silenciador y conectividad Bluetooth.

Precios y disponibilidad
El Discovery 975 de Plantronics tiene un PVP de €99.99 y está disponible en www.plantronics.com. Si desea más información sobre el Discovery 975 de Plantronics, visite www.plantronics.com/discovery975.

Award-Winning Plantronics Headsets Are Ideal Choice for Ontario Residents to Comply with New Hands-free Law

drace — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:15 +0000

Use Your Head, Not Your Hands: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel While Using Mobile Devices

Practice Makes Perfect: Try using your phone and headset together before you drive. Get to know the controls and adjust the fit. Check the headset settings on your cell phone and store the phone in the car so it’s out of your way but still accessible.
Get Organized: Program all of your frequently called numbers into your phone. That includes your office, your kids’ school and your favorite takeout restaurant. Don’t forget about voice dialing; most phones have that option, so use it as much as possible to avoid becoming distracted by manual dialing while driving.
Set It Up: Just as you check your rearview mirror and buckle your seatbelt before driving, put on your headset and make sure it’s properly connected to your phone.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road: Always remember that your first priority is driving. You should only place and receive calls when it’s absolutely necessary.

Award-Winning Headset for Ontario Drivers: Plantronics Voyager PRO

About Plantronics

###

Plantronics Expands Unified Communications Product Line into the Contact Center

kauby — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:00:36 +0000

The IP40 Provides Integration with Contact Center Software for Increased Collaboration and Workflow Management

Santa Cruz, Calif. – October 5, 2009 – Plantronics Inc. (NYSE: PLT), today continued its nearly 50-year history of developing breakthrough products with the new IP40™, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) endpoint device for the contact center. The IP40 connects agent headsets directly to the Ethernet to unify contact center software applications with all inbound and outbound call activity.

Because the IP40 SIP endpoint device connects directly to the Ethernet, it eliminates the need for a costly desk phone while avoiding reliance on the PC to process voice, previously the only other option. It is designed specifically for the heavy traffic loads and premium voice quality requirements found in contact centers.

The IP40 is a plug-and-play standalone device controlled by the contact center routing engine. It registers with the SIP proxy upon start up, and is controlled from the contact center software application. Integrating the IP40 with contact center applications helps improve collaboration and workflow management among agents and managers so they can provide better customer service. For example, agents using the IP40 initiate all calls through the contact center software application which ensures all call actions are accurately recorded for management.

“Robust, quality audio is critical for contact centers,” said Nick Eisner, director of Contact Center Product Management at Plantronics “Customers tell us they want to simplify and drive call control to the workstation application to ensure that their quality systems capture every move an agent makes. The IP40 leverages the customer’s investment in VoIP and SIP, eliminating the telephone on the agent’s desk but without compromising the robustness of the voice path. It also reduces power consumption and optimizes audio quality for intelligibility; less is truly more.”

Analyst and Customer Reactions

“One of the early payoffs for adopting SIP-enabled IP telephony in contact centers will be the ability to dramatically lower agent terminal costs,” said Drew Kraus research vice president at Gartner. “The ability to directly connect agent headsets to the LAN, doing away with desk phones or PCs as voice path devices, should be of great interest to contact center planners and IT departments as they look to lower infrastructure costs.”

The IP40 has already been tested at INOVO Telecom, a leading global supplier of contact center solutions. “We simply love the IP40; it provides a unique value proposition for any contact center,” said Eugene Schalkwyk, chief technology officer at INOVO. “It not only significantly reduces complexity for the operator but is very easy to install and maintain. The market has been asking for a unit like this for a long time and we can finally offer a high quality and cost effective SIP device.”

The IP40: Reliable Audio Quality with Desktop Simplicity

The IP40 features and benefits include:

Reliable and robust voice path independent of the PC or Deskphone
Call control interface via the contact center software enables all action to be captured
Telephone not required which reduces footprint on desktop
More economical and draws up to 2/3 less power than a contact center telephone
Dual Ethernet ports let PC share the IP40 network connection
Device powered using standard 802.3af Power over Ethernet
Compatible with Plantronics professional grade headsets
Simple plug-and-play installation
Provides control features such as transmit mute, receive volume adjust, and call answer/end button with a remotely configurable auto-answer option.
Features presence-based automatic hold when the headset is detached using the QuickDisconnect™ feature

Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics IP40 is now available for a MSRP of $189 and can be purchased via Plantronics authorized resellers.

Altec Lansing, Clarity, IP40, Plantronics, The Voice of Unified Communications, and Quick Disconnect are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Plantronics Organizes to Focus on Unified Communications Opportunity, Enters Definitive Agreement to Sell Altec Lansing

inolan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:42:20 +0000

SANTA CRUZ, CA - October 2, 2009 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Altec Lansing, the Audio Entertainment Group of Plantronics, to Prophet Equity LP, a Southlake, Texas - based private equity firm, for consideration of approximately $18 million in cash, net of liabilities assumed, and subject to certain adjustments. The transaction, which was approved by Plantronics’ Board of Directors on October 1, 2009, is expected to close by the end of October.

In concert with the sale of Altec Lansing assets, Plantronics also announced a streamlined functional corporate structure, replacing the matrix it had operated with, to best target the Unified Communications opportunity.

“Unified Communications represents the greatest revenue and profit opportunity in the Company’s history. The reorganization and asset sale represent further steps to focus on our core market, improve the Company’s return on invested capital and enhance time to market and profitability through a simpler organizational structure,” stated Ken Kannappan, President & CEO.

Under the terms of the agreement, Plantronics will retain certain Altec Lansing assets and liabilities as of the closing date, including accounts receivable, accounts payable and certain other liabilities. As a result, the Company expects these net assets to result in additional operating cash flow once the retained working capital assets are monetized in fiscal 2010. Plantronics will also retain assets and/or use of certain assets with strategic value to Plantronics, including the right to use the Altec Lansing brand for specific music applications for three years. As a result of the sale of Altec Lansing, we expect all future and historical AEG segment results to be reported as discontinued operations in Plantronics financial statements beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2009.

In the quarter ended September 26, 2009, Plantronics has determined that it will be required to record an impairment charge related to its AEG long-lived assets which includes the remaining intangible assets from the Altec Lansing acquisition in 2005 along with potential other long-lived assets within the AEG segment. The impairment analysis is being performed and we currently estimate the non-cash impairment charge, net of the tax benefit, to be in the range of $13 to $16 million.

“Capital freed up by the sale of Altec Lansing will be redeployed to its highest and best use. Our philosophy is to use excess cash to drive stockholder value and the primary vehicle we have used to accomplish this is through stock repurchase programs. Throughout our history, we have bought back over $425 million of stock and are currently executing on our 19^th stock repurchase program. We intend to continue to buy back stock on a regular basis with cash beyond domestic requirements,” stated Barbara Scherer, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration & CFO.

“Altec Lansing contributed to our success in the consumer market, where we are today a Bluetooth headset market leader and we will work hard to ensure a smooth transition for Altec Lansing’s partners and customers. We are confident that Prophet Equity LP will continue to manage the business effectively,” Kannappan concluded.

“Prophet Equity is delighted to be partnering with Altec Lansing at this time in its history, as we believe it is an influential and dynamic company with a bright future in many portable digital audio platforms,” commented Ross Gatlin, CEO at Prophet Equity. “This transaction leverages our operational and strategic toolkit as well as underscores our internal capabilities to execute complex carve outs.” Gatlin added.

George Stelling, COO at Prophet Equity, commented further that “Our team sees Altec Lansing’s compelling audio technologies, its global customer and supply base, and its top notch management team as strengths that are unrivaled in the audio market today. We look forward to helping grow the company, to partnering with Plantronics in the future on new platforms, and to serving Altec’s enthusiastic and loyal customers for many years to come.”

Houlihan Lokey is serving as financial advisor, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is serving as legal advisor to Plantronics in connection with the transaction.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to (i) the proposed sale of the Audio Entertainment Group to Prophet Equity, (ii) the opportunities provided by Unified Communications (”UC”); (iii) the effects of the reorganization of the Company’s corporate structure and the sale of the Audio Entertainment Group; (iv) the retained working capital assets and our ability to monetize them; (v) the estimated impairment charge; (vi) our use of the capital from the sale of Altec Lansing, including the stock repurchase program; and (vii) the effects of the sale of Altec Lansing on Altec Lansing, including its effects on Altec Lansing’s partners and customers. Plantronics does not assume any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new developments or otherwise.

uncertainty as to whether the sale of Altec Lansing to Prophet Equity will be completed;
the failure of either party to meet the closing conditions set forth in the asset purchase agreement pursuant to which Plantronics will sell Altec Lansing to Prophet Equity;
reaction of Altec Lansing’s customers, suppliers and partners to the sale of Altec Lansing;
economic conditions in both the domestic and international markets;
the bankruptcy or financial weakness of distributors or key customers, or the bankruptcy of or reduction in capacity of our key suppliers;
our ability to realize our UC plans and to achieve the financial results projected to arise from UC adoption could be adversely affected by the following factors: (i) as UC becomes more widely adopted, the risk that competitors will offer solutions that will effectively commoditize our headsets which, in turn, will reduce the sales prices for our headsets; (ii) our plans are dependent upon adoption of our UC solution by major platform providers such as Microsoft, Avaya, IBM and Cisco, and we have a limited ability to influence such providers with respect to the functionality of their platforms, their rate of deployment, and their willingness to integrate their platforms with our solutions; (iii) the development of UC solutions is technically complex and this may delay or obstruct our ability to introduce solutions to the market on a timely basis and that are cost effective, feature rich, stable and attractive to our customers; (iv) as UC becomes more widely adopted we anticipate that competition for market share will increase, and some competitors may have superior technical and economic resources, and (v) UC solutions may not be adopted with the breadth and speed in the marketplace that we currently anticipate;

further impairment losses on the carrying value of our intangible assets and goodwill could be recognized if it is determined the value is not recoverable which would adversely affect our financial results; and

additional risk factors including: interruption in the supply of sole-sourced critical components, continuity of component supply at costs consistent with our plans, the inherent risks of our substantial foreign operations, and problems which might affect our manufacturing facilities in Mexico, and unexpected delays and uncertainties affecting our ability to realize targeted expense reductions and annualized savings through implementation of our plan to outsource the manufacturing of our Bluetooth products in China to GoerTek, Inc.

About Plantronics
Plantronics is a world leader in personal audio communications for professionals and consumers. From unified communication solutions to Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers unparalleled audio experiences and quality that reflect our nearly 50 years of innovation and customer commitment. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100 and is the headset of choice for air traffic control, 911 dispatch and the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

About Prophet Equity

Prophet Equity is a private equity firm that uses proven, data-driven analytical techniques coupled with over 100 years of investment and management experience to invest in, unlock and realize future value today. Partnering with owners and management teams, Prophet Equity’s team utilizes a toolkit that is Fortune 500 tested and private equity proven to diagnose and drive dramatic value creation. Portfolio company management teams are highly motivated with clear, uncapped incentives based on realized business performance.

Over the last decade alone, Prophet’s Principals have invested and managed approximately $300 million of control equity in entities with over $2.5 billion in revenue. Their control equity investments focus on lower and middle market companies with strategically strong businesses with significant value creation potential, such as those found in partnerships, corporate carve-outs, divestitures and non-strategic businesses of larger companies. Representative business situations include special situations, succession planning, recapitalizations, reorganizations, turnarounds, acquisitions, mergers and bankruptcies. For more information, please visit www.prophetequity.com or call us at +1.817.898.1500.

Altec Lansing and Plantronics are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners

Ingeniously Simple Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Earpiece Marries Innovative Design with AudioIQ2 and WindSmart Noise-Canceling Technologies

atarabout — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:26:51 +0000

One-of-a-Kind Charging Case Can Triple Talk Time from 5 to Up to 15 Hours

London – 4th September 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), the leading manufacturer of premium headsets, today announced the new Plantronics Discovery® 975 Bluetooth® earpiece. The Plantronics Discovery 975 is the next generation of the Discovery 925, which was lauded for its superior audio quality and innovative lightweight design. Customers will enjoy an improved audio experience with advanced AudioIQ2 and WindSmart® technologies, which deliver natural sounding voice in harsh noise environments, coupled with Plantronics’ legendary inbound audio quality, comfort, and durability.

“Consumers expect great outbound noise cancellation in a premium headset, but they are tired of sacrificing usability, comfort, and quality,” said Stuart Bradshaw, EMEA Marketing Manager for the Plantronics Mobile Division “At Plantronics we have spent nearly five decades perfecting all aspects of headset design from inbound audio quality to fit. For customers seeking the perfect blend of innovative design and advanced audio technologies, the Discovery 975 is the ingeniously simple solution.”

Industry-Leading Performance
The Discovery 975 features AudioIQ2, the next generation of Plantronics’ AudioIQ digital signal processing (DSP) technology, and two microphones to precisely capture the user’s voice and simultaneously cancel background noise. Users don’t have to worry about pressing special buttons or having sensors touch their face to activate the noise-canceling capabilities — AudioIQ2 works automatically wherever the user is having a conversation.

Plantronics Discovery 975 addresses wind noise with three layers of WindSmart® technology. It features grooved vents on the boom and acoustic fabrics that surround the microphones to block wind. In addition, electronic filters within AudioIQ2 remove wind noise during conversations and help deliver your clear, natural voice to the listener.

The Plantronics Discovery 975 also provides the great inbound audio quality for which Plantronics is known. The earpiece includes an adaptive 20-band equalizer that delivers rich, full voice and works with AudioIQ2 to automatically adjust incoming calls to comfortable listening levels based on the noise level around you.

One-Of-A-Kind Charging Case
The Discovery 975 comes with an improved rechargeable carrying case the can triple talk time from 5 hours to up to 15 hours while protecting and storing the earpiece. The new case includes an LCD screen that displays the battery and earpiece charge levels, as well as Bluetooth connectivity. With the rechargeable case, users don’t have to worry about constantly finding a wall outlet and can finally see the charge level in their headset, so they won’t run out of battery life in the middle of a call.

Intuitive User Experience & Simple Design
At only 8 grams, the Plantronics Discovery 975 is a lightweight headset featuring Plantronics’ signature boom, which captures speech close to the mouth to ensure your voice sounds natural. Perfect for quick on/off wearing, the earpiece uses the same patented soft gel ear tips customers loved on the Discovery 925 for a stable, comfortable fit that doesn’t invade the ear canal. The Discovery 975 includes two buttons for ease of use: one button for powering on/off and call answer/end and another button for volume control and mute. The Discovery 975 features voice prompts for low battery warnings, mute status and Bluetooth connectivity.

Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics Discovery 975 has a retail price of £79.99 and is available at www.plantronics.com. For more information about the Plantronics Discovery 975, please visit: www.plantronics.com/discovery975.

Perfekte Kombination aus Technologie und Design

atarabout — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:10:21 +0000

Genial einfach: Plantronics vereint mit dem Discovery 975 modernste Noise Cancelling-Technik in einem stylischem Accessoire

Hürth, 03.09.2009 – Mit dem Bluetooth-Headset Discovery 975 stellt der Headset-Spezialist Plantronics heute das neueste Produkt der Discovery-Reihe vor. Wie auch seine Vorgänger besticht das Discovery 975 mit seiner Kombination aus stylischem Design und innovativer Technologie. Störende Umgebungsgeräusche werden durch die integrierte AudioIQ2 Noise Cancelling- und die dreistufige WindSmart-Technologie eliminiert. Damit sorgt dieses Headset an jedem Einsatzort für optimale Sprachqualität und sieht dabei außerordentlich gut aus.

Das Discovery 975 überzeugt durch sein klares Design: Das leicht glänzende Gehäuse ist in grafit-metallic gehalten. Der schlanke Mikrofonarm folgt stromlinienförmig den Gesichtskonturen. Das rautenförmige Ohrteil ist mit einer edlen Applikation aus mattem, schwarzem Leder versehen. Die puristische Form des Discovery 975 macht aus diesem Headset ein technisch-hochwertiges Accessoire für Designbewusste.

AudioIQ², die zweite Generation der AudioIQ-Noise-Cancelling-Technologie mit digitaler Signalverarbeitung (Digital Signal Processing, DSP) von Plantronics, sorgt für erstklassige Klangqualität. Die intelligente Technologie passt die Lautstärke automatisch dem Geräuschpegel in der Umgebung an. Zwei Mikrofone filtern störende Umweltgeräusche heraus und übertragen nur die Stimme – abgemischt von einem integrierten 20-Band-Equalizer.

Mit einem Gewicht von 8 Gramm ist das Discovery 975 ein stylisches Leichtgewicht und ist als In-Ohr-Modell beim Tragen kaum zu spüren. Die Sprechzeit beträgt bis zu 5 Stunden, im Standby hält der eingebaute Lithium-Ion-Akku bis zu einer vollen Woche durch. Die mitgelieferte Ladetasche bietet dem Gerät nicht nur eine geschützte Aufbewahrung: Ein zusätzlicher in die Tasche integrierter Akku lädt das Schmuckstück während der Aufbewahrung auf. So kann die Sprechzeit verdreifacht werden. Ein LED-Display an der Seite der Ladetasche informiert dabei über den aktuellen Ladestand von Ladetasche und Headset. Auch der Status bestehender Bluetooth-Verbindungen wird angezeigt.

Das Discovery 975 ist auf wenige Bedienelemente reduziert und intuitiv steuerbar. Sprachansagen informieren über Mikrofonstummschaltung, niedrigen Akkustand oder Verlassen der Bluetooth-Reichweite.

Dank MultiPoint-Technologie kann das Headset mit zwei Bluetooth-Geräten gleichzeitig genutzt oder ganz einfach zwischen zwei Geräten hin- und hergewechselt werden. Die QuickPair-Technologie sorgt für schnelles und einfaches Paaren mit Bluetooth-Telefonen. Die Reichweite beträgt bis zu 10 Metern.

Preise und Verfügbarkeit
Das Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth-Headset ist ab sofort im Fachhandel für Euro 99,99 (UVP inkl. MwSt.) erhältlich.

Plantronics’ Bluetooth Explorer headsets now available from Carphone Warehouse

atarabout — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:10:08 +0000

The Explorer® 390 and Explorer® 260 Bluetooth headsets to be sold across the UK

London – August 26, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced that The Carphone Warehouse will stock the Plantronics Explorer® 390 and Explorer 260® Bluetooth headsets from today as part of its core range. The headsets will be available in 670 stores across the UK and this is the first of the Explorer range to be sold through The Carphone Warehouse. This will be distributed by Kondor, the largest independent supplier of mobile phone accessories in the UK.

“We are delighted to have secured this agreement with The Carphone Warehouse,” said Paul Hartridge, Head of UK Consumer Sales at Plantronics. Inc. “This means that more and more people will be able to purchase and enjoy Plantronics Bluetooth headsets that give outstanding audio quality at competitive prices”.

The Explorer® 390 is a lightweight headset designed for in-car use, delivering noise, wind and echo reduction for quality sound at an affordable price. The easy one-touch features enable users to listen and talk easily, whilst focusing on the road with this user-friendly headset. The multiple charging options mean it can be powered up at home, on the road and in the office and it can be paired with two Bluetooth enabled devices at any one time.

The Explorer® 260 is an easy-to-use Bluetooth headset, ideal for first-time buyers using their headset in the car. The straight forward QuickPair™ set-up and one-touch features make using this Bluetooth headset simple, whilst the Plantronics’ technologies ensure guaranteed sound quality with up to 8 hours talk time. It has been tested with top Bluetooth mobile phone brands to ensure near universal compatibility and comes with multiple charging options. Both these Plantronics headsets come with a 2-year warranty.

Pricing and Availability

Customers will be able to purchase the Plantronics Explorer® 390 and Explorer® 260 from 10th August , through The Carphone Warehouse retail and online stores. RRP is £29.99 - £39.99, for more specific pricing please refer to The Carphone Warehouse. To learn more about the Explorer® range, please visit: www.plantronics.com.

Ingeniously Simple Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Earpiece Marries Innovative Design with AudioIQ2 and WindSmart Noise-Canceling Technologies

drace — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:32 +0000

One-of-a-Kind Charging Case Can Triple Talk Time from 5 to Up to 15 Hours

SANTA CRUZ, CA – August 20, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), the leading manufacturer of premium headsets, today announced the new Plantronics Discovery® 975 Bluetooth® earpiece. The Plantronics Discovery 975 is the next generation of the Discovery 925, which was lauded for its superior audio quality and innovative lightweight design. Customers will enjoy an improved audio experience with advanced AudioIQ²and WindSmart® technologies, which deliver natural sounding voice in harsh noise environments, coupled with Plantronics’ legendary inbound audio quality, comfort, and durability.

“Consumers expect great outbound noise cancellation in a premium headset, but they are tired of sacrificing usability, comfort, and quality,” said Renee Niemi, vice president and general manager of the Plantronics Mobile and Entertainment Division. “At Plantronics we have spent nearly five decades perfecting all aspects of headset design from inbound audio quality to fit. For customers seeking the perfect blend of innovative design and advanced audio technologies, the Discovery 975 is the ingeniously simple solution.”

Industry-Leading Performance

The Discovery 975 features AudioIQ², the next generation of Plantronics’ AudioIQ digital signal processing (DSP) technology, and two microphones to precisely capture the user’s voice and simultaneously cancel background noise. Users don’t have to worry about pressing special buttons or having sensors touch their face to activate the noise-canceling capabilities — AudioIQ² works automatically wherever the user is having a conversation.

Plantronics Discovery 975 addresses wind noise with three layers of WindSmart technology. It features grooved vents on the boom and acoustic fabrics that surround the microphones to block wind. In addition, electronic filters within AudioIQ² remove wind noise during conversations and help deliver your clear, natural voice to the listener.

The Plantronics Discovery 975 also provides the great inbound audio quality for which Plantronics is known. The earpiece includes an adaptive 20-band equalizer that delivers rich, full voice and works with AudioIQ² to automatically adjust incoming calls to comfortable listening levels based on the noise level around you.

One-Of-A-Kind Charging Case

The Discovery 975 comes with an improved rechargeable carrying case that can triple talk time from 5 hours to up to 15 hours while protecting and storing the earpiece. The new case includes an LCD screen that displays the battery and earpiece charge levels, as well as Bluetooth connectivity. With the rechargeable case, users don’t have to worry about constantly finding a wall outlet and can finally see the charge level in their headset, so they won’t run out of battery life in the middle of a call.

Intuitive User Experience & Simple Design

At only 8 grams, the Plantronics Discovery 975 is a lightweight headset featuring Plantronics’ signature boom, which captures speech close to the mouth to ensure your voice sounds natural. Perfect for quick on/off wearing, the earpiece uses the same patented soft gel ear tips customers loved on the Discovery 925 for a stable, comfortable fit that doesn’t invade the ear canal. The Discovery 975 includes two buttons for ease of use: one button for powering on/off and call answer/end and another button for volume control and mute. The Discovery 975 features voice prompts for low battery warnings, mute status and Bluetooth connectivity.

Pricing and Availability

The Plantronics Discovery 975 has a retail price of $129.99 and is available at www.plantronics.com and for pre-order at BestBuy.com and Amazon.com today. The Discovery 975 will be available in Best Buy and Apple stores in late August. Availability in AT&T, Radio Shack and Sprint stores follows in September/October. For more information about the Plantronics Discovery 975, please visit: www.plantronics.com/discovery975.

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, Plantronics has become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, 911 dispatch and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of innovation is the basis for every audio product we build for the office, contact center, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. The Plantronics family of brands includes Plantronics, Altec Lansing and Clarity. For more information, go to www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

# # #

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, AudioIQ², Plantronics Discovery, and WindSmart are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Plantronics Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2010 Results

inolan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:00:37 +0000

First Quarter Revenue and EPS Exceed Guidance; Significant Improvement in Gross and Operating Margins

SANTA CRUZ, CA - July 28, 2009 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced first quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues of $160.1 million compared with $219.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Net revenues were above the previously provided guidance of $145 to $150 million. Plantronics’ GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.22 in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 compared with $0.42 in the same quarter of the prior year. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was $0.36 compared with $0.47 in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, but were greater than the previously provided non-GAAP guidance of $0.08 to $0.12. The difference between GAAP and non-GAAP operating income and earnings per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 includes restructuring and other related costs, purchase accounting amortization and the cost of stock-based compensation.

“We are encouraged that net revenues for all major product groups were stronger than we had forecasted, particularly in our Office and Contact Center business. Demand appears to have stabilized and is greater than the level we anticipated when we implemented company-wide cost reductions in the last fiscal year. With our streamlined cost structure, we were able to achieve higher gross and operating margins on a lower revenue base in comparison to the same quarter a year ago,” stated Ken Kannappan, President & CEO. “Unified Communications (”UC”) deployments continue at a healthy rate and we are experiencing increased levels of trialing and deployment activity for our headsets and other UC solutions.”

“The combination of our good profitability and successful efforts to reduce inventory led to the generation of nearly $38 million in cash flow from operations. As a result, our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investment balance grew to over $250 million,” added Barbara Scherer, SVP Finance and Administration & CFO.

Audio Communications Group (ACG) Non-GAAP Results

(Office & Contact Center, Mobile, Gaming and Computer & Clarity)

Comparisons are to the Same Quarter in the Prior Year

First quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues of $141.1 million decreased 29% compared with $198.5 million in the prior year quarter, but increased 10% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009. General economic weakness led to declines in net revenues in all major geographies and most product groups compared with the prior year quarter; however, most major product groups and geographies improved sequentially.

Office and Contact Center net revenues were $95.9 million, a decrease of 22% from $122.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. However, net revenues for the current quarter increased 12% sequentially from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009. Bluetooth headset net revenues were $30.3 million, a decrease of 45% from the year ago quarter of $55.2 million, and a sequential increase of 6% from $28.7 million in the prior quarter. The decline from the prior year quarter is attributable to a stronger first quarter in the prior year which was driven in part by hands-free legislation in California and Washington. The recently introduced Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset continued to receive positive editorial and consumer reviews and is now available through a number of top consumer electronics retailers.

Gross margin in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was 49.0% compared with 45.4% in the first quarter last year. The improvement was primarily due to a greater mix of higher margin Office and Contact Center revenue in addition to higher Bluetooth product margins.

Operating expenses declined by 22% from $56.6 million in the prior year quarter to $43.9 million in the current quarter and were lower in all functions. Operating income decreased to $25.2 million from $33.5 million; however, the operating margin increased to 17.9% compared with 16.9% in the prior year quarter.

The Company continues to believe that the implementation of UC technologies by large corporations will be a significant long-term driver of office headset adoption, and, as a result, a key long-term driver of revenue and profit growth. Our first products designed specifically for UC, the Savi Office and Savi Go headsets, enjoyed strong customer and partner reception and began shipping in the first quarter. The Company believes that revenue from headset sales related to UC will be material to the Company beginning in fiscal 2011.

“In addition to winning important enterprise customers in UC, we continue to see growing adoption and deployment of UC in general, which we expect will be advantageous for headset sales,” stated Kannappan. “Most Fortune 500 accounts that we are working with are in some stage of test, trial, or evaluation of UC.”

Audio Entertainment Group (AEG) Non-GAAP Results

(Docking Audio, PC Audio, Other)

Comparisons are to the Same Quarter in the Prior Year

First quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues of $19.0 million decreased 8% from $20.6 million in the prior year quarter driven by lower PC Audio product sales in the United States and Asia. PC Audio product net revenues were lower primarily as a result of an older product portfolio which was being phased out during the first quarter of fiscal 2010 and replaced with a more competitive offering. The Docking Audio product line revenue held up well compared to the year ago quarter on the strength of the refreshed product portfolio.

Gross profit remained consistent between the periods at $2.6 million while gross margin increased slightly from 12.7% in the prior year quarter to 13.8% in the current quarter. The increase was due to material cost reductions and lower freight costs partially offset by higher promotional activities due to customer mix.

Operating expenses declined by 26% from $7.1 million in the prior year quarter to $5.2 million in the current quarter, and the operating loss decreased from $4.4 million in the prior year quarter to $2.6 million in the current quarter.

Business Outlook

Plantronics has a “book and ship” business model whereby it ships most orders to customers within 48 hours of our receipt of those orders, and, therefore, the level of backlog does not provide reliable visibility into potential future revenues. The business is inherently difficult to forecast, and there can be no assurance that the incoming orders the Company expects to receive over the balance of the quarter will materialize. With continuing economic uncertainty, the Company’s business remains more difficult to forecast than it was historically. The September quarter tends to be characterized by a slowdown in incoming purchase orders during July which intensifies in August, but historically picks up strongly at the beginning of September. This pattern tends to be particularly true in our higher margin Office and Contact Center business. This historical trend is included in our model for forecasting the second quarter net revenues; however, if this trend does not reoccur in the current year, we may not be able to achieve our forecasted net revenue levels.

Net revenues in the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 are expected to be flat to slightly below first quarter of fiscal year 2010 primarily based on the fact that the September quarter has tended to be a bit weaker than the June quarter for ACG.

Subject to the foregoing, we are currently expecting the following range of financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010:

Net revenues of $155 - $160 million;
Non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.27 - $0.32;
Non-GAAP consolidated tax rate to be approximately 27%;
The EPS cost of purchase accounting amortization of approximately $0.01;
The EPS cost of restructuring of approximately $0.04;
The EPS cost of stock-based compensation pursuant to FAS 123(R) to be approximately $0.05; and
GAAP earnings per share of $0.17 to $0.21.

Plantronics does not intend to update these targets during the quarter or to report on its progress toward these targets. Plantronics will not comment on these targets to analysts or investors except by its next press release announcing its second quarter fiscal year 2010 results or by other public disclosure. Any statements by persons outside Plantronics speculating on the progress of the second quarter fiscal year 2010 will not be based on internal Company information and should be assessed accordingly by investors.

Conference Call Scheduled to Discuss Actual Financial Results

Plantronics has scheduled a conference call to discuss first quarter fiscal 2010 results. The conference call will take place Tuesday, July 28 at 2:00 PM (PDT). All interested investors and potential investors in Plantronics stock are invited to participate. To listen to the call, please dial in five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled starting time and refer to the “Plantronics Conference Call.” Participants from North America should call (888) 301-8736 and other participants should call (706) 634-7260.

A replay of the call with the conference ID #12172987 will be available for 72 hours at (800) 642-1687 for callers from North America and at (706) 645-9291 for all other callers. The conference call will also be simultaneously web cast at www.plantronics.com under Investor Relations, and the web cast of the conference call will remain available at the Plantronics website for thirty days.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

SAFE HARBOR

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to (i) implementation of UC technologies by large enterprises as a significant driver of headset adoption, and, its effect on our revenue and profit growth; (ii) our products, including the Voyager Pro and the Savi Office and Savi Go headsets; (iii) revenue from headset sales related to UC and its materiality to the Company beginning in fiscal 2011; (iv) growing adoption and deployment of UC in general and our expectation that this will be advantageous for headset sales; (v) seasonality during the September quarter and its effect on our financial results; (vi) our estimates of GAAP and non-GAAP financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010, including revenue and earnings per share; (vii) our estimated tax rate; (viii) our estimated stock-based compensation expense; (ix) our estimated purchase accounting amortization, as well as other matters discussed in this press release that are not purely historical data. Plantronics does not assume any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new developments or otherwise.

economic conditions in both the domestic and international markets;
fluctuations in foreign exchange rates;
the bankruptcy or financial weakness of distributors or key customers, or the bankruptcy of or reduction in capacity of our key suppliers;
the effect of restructuring actions on GAAP results;
our ability to realize our UC plans and to achieve the financial results projected to arise from UC adoption could be adversely affected by the following factors: (i) as UC becomes more widely adopted, the risk that competitors will offer solutions that will effectively commoditize our headsets which, in turn, will reduce the sales prices for our headsets; (ii) our plans are dependent upon adoption of our UC solution by major platform providers such as Microsoft, Avaya, IBM and Cisco, and we have a limited ability to influence such providers with respect to the functionality of their platforms, their rate of deployment, and their willingness to integrate their platforms with our solutions; (iii) the development of UC solutions is technically complex and this may delay or obstruct our ability to introduce solutions to the market on a timely basis and that are cost effective, feature rich, stable and attractive to our customers; (iv) as UC becomes more widely adopted we anticipate that competition for market share will increase, and some competitors may have superior technical and economic resources, and (v) UC solutions may not be adopted with the breadth and speed in the marketplace that we currently anticipate;

failure to match production to demand given long lead times and the difficulty of forecasting unit volumes and acquiring the component parts to meet demand without having excess inventory or incurring cancellation charges;

further impairment losses on the carrying value of our intangible assets and goodwill could be recognized if it is determined the value is not recoverable which would adversely affect our financial results;

volatility in prices from our suppliers, including our manufacturers located in China, have and could negatively affect our profitability and/or market share; and
additional risk factors including: interruption in the supply of sole-sourced critical components, continuity of component supply at costs consistent with our plans, the inherent risks of our substantial foreign operations, and problems which might affect our manufacturing facilities in Mexico, and unexpected delays and uncertainties affecting our ability to realize targeted expense reductions and annualized savings through implementation of our plan to outsource the manufacturing of our Bluetooth products in China to GoerTek, Inc.

Financial Summaries

The following related charts are provided:

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, Plantronics has become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, 911 dispatch, and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of Sound Innovation^® is the basis for every product we build for the office, contact center, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. The Plantronics family of brands includes Plantronics, Altec Lansing, Clarity, and Volume Logic. For more information, go to www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, the logo design, Savi, Sound Innovation, Volume Logic and AudioIQ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth name and the Bluetooth trademarks are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and are used by Plantronics, Inc. under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Plantronics Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.05 per Share

inolan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:00:02 +0000

Santa Cruz, CA-July 28, 2009 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share. The dividend is payable on September 10, 2009 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 20, 2009.

“We generated approximately $38 million in cash flow from operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2010. Our Board of Directors is pleased to continue to return a portion of our cash flow to stockholders directly in the form of a dividend,” said Ken Kannappan, President and Chief Executive Officer.

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, Plantronics has become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, 911 dispatch, and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of Sound Innovation® is the basis for every product we build for the office, contact center, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. The Plantronics family of brands includes Plantronics, Altec Lansing, Clarity, and Volume Logic. For more information, go to www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, Sound Innovation, Volume Logic and AudioIQ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Plantronics Mexico Wins Mexico’s 2009 National Logistics Award

drace — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:39 +0000

Santa Cruz, Calif. — July 1, 2009 — Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) announced today that Plantronics Mexico (PLAMEX), its internationally acclaimed manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico, won Mexico’s 2009 National Logistics Award in the big industrial category (more than 250 employees). Mexico’s National Logistics award is granted to organizations that have implemented best logistics practices to boost competitiveness through improved customer satisfaction, supply chain innovation, human resources development and care for the environment.

Plantronics Mexico was selected among more than 160 companies by a technical committee that included representation from Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, the Industrial and Education sector and Logistics chamber. PLAMEX was recognized for its world class human resources development programs and advanced logistics practices that have improved the company’s competitiveness.

“Being recognized with this award in such a highly competitive field, and during a very tough economic climate, truly reinforces the outstanding accomplishments and commitment of all our associates at PLAMEX,” said Alejandro Bustamante, president of PLAMEX.

PLAMEX — A Legacy of Excellence

Plantronics Mexico associates enjoy an environment that promotes a continuous process of innovation and creativity and are trained to prevent problems by proposing solutions to any potential risks they identify. Everyone contributes to quality processes to increase customer satisfaction, minimize rework, reduce cost, maintain production output, and uphold product excellence.

Plantronics Mexico is certified in ISO 9001, ISO 14001, CTPAT, FAST, PAPS, DOT and CHP. PLAMEX has received numerous awards and commendations for its excellence in environmental matters, community work, customer satisfaction, and work safety. Previous awards include the Mexico Quality, Mexico Export, Mexico Technology and Mexico Labor awards; the Federal Ministry of Labor’s Safe Industry Certificate; PROFEPA’s Clean Industry Certificate; the PROFEPA/CNIME Environmental Award (EPA/National Maquiladora Council); the 2005 Asia-Pacific International Quality Award; the 2005 Iberoamerican Quality Award; the 2005 Century International Quality Era Award; and the 2008 Latin American Quality award.

About Plantronics

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, and Sound Innovation are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Plantronics to Oahu Drivers: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel When Talking!

drace — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:34 +0000

Headsets Can Help Oahu Residents and Visitors
Comply with New Hands-free Law

Santa Cruz, CA – July 1, 2009 – Headset manufacturer Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) is encouraging all residents of and visitors to Oahu, Hawaii to keep both hands on the wheel by following Honolulu’s new hands-free law that bans the use of handheld mobile electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. The new legislation, which goes into effect on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, is a Honolulu city law that will be enforced across Oahu.

Talking on a cell phone in the car is routine for many of today’s busy drivers. With the use of hands-free devices like wireless headsets, these drivers can continue to enjoy the convenience of making calls on the road while keeping both hands on the wheel. Residents and those planning to vacation in Oahu this summer should consider the following safety tips while using a headset and driving:

- Have a Trial Run: Practice using your phone and headset together before you drive. Familiarize yourself with the headset controls. Adjust the fit and the microphone on your headset, check the headset settings on your cell phone and stow the phone so it’s out of your way but still accessible.

- Be Prepared: Program all of your frequently called numbers into your phone. That includes your boss, your kids’ babysitter and your favorite neighborhood pizza place. And don’t forget about voice dialing; most phones have that option, so use it as much as possible.

- Set Up for Success: Just as you check your rearview mirror and secure your seatbelt before driving, be sure to put your headset on and ensure it’s connected properly to your phone.

- Remember That Driving Comes First: Always keep in mind that your first priority is driving. You should only place and receive calls when it’s absolutely necessary.

“Plantronics understands that different drivers have different needs, so we offer an array of headset models that fit various lifestyle requirements and personal preferences while consistently delivering excellent audio quality, comfort and convenience,” said Renee Niemi, general manager and vice president of Mobile & Entertainment for Plantronics. “Regardless of the type of the headset they choose, we are happy to know that drivers across Oahu will be keeping both hands on the wheel with this new legislation.”

Among the headsets available to Oahu drivers is the new Plantronics Voyager® PRO Bluetooth® headset, which provides the most advanced noise-canceling and wind noise reduction technology on the market. Awarded coveted Editor’s Choice awards by CNET and PC Magazine, the Plantronics Voyager PRO features two noise-canceling mics, AudioIQ² technology with an adaptive 20-band equalizer, and three layers of WindSmart® technology to ensure that Oahu commuters and visitors hear every word on a call and little background noise. This extremely comfortable, behind-the-ear headset reflects Plantronics’ 40-plus years of commitment to headset engineering excellence.

The Voyager PRO is available at Best Buy and Sprint stores today in Hawaii. For a complete listing of Plantronics’ products, please visit www.plantronics.com.

About Plantronics

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, AudioIQ², Plantronics Voyager, and WindSmart are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license.

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Plantronics Honored as 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards Winner in OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing

atarabout — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:09:57 +0000

SANTA CRUZ, CA, — June 24, 2009 — Today, Plantronics proudly announced it has been selected as a 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards winner in OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing. The company was chosen out of an international field of top Microsoft partners as delivering market-leading customer solutions built on Microsoft technology.

“Plantronics is committed to improving unified communications for end users through audio solutions that deliver great sound quality, ease-of-use and seamless interoperability between any phone and the PC,” said Gunjan Bhow, vice president and general manager of unified communications at Plantronics. “This award from Microsoft for our first USB handset, the .Audio™ 1100M, is a testament to the importance of delivering a simple, intuitive user experience that will spur adoption.”

Awards will be presented in a number of categories, with winners chosen from a pool of nearly 2,000 entrants worldwide. The OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing Partner of the Year award recognizes independent hardware vendors or original device manufacturers who deliver superior customer value by designing and developing hardware peripheral and device solutions that use Microsoft technologies. To be eligible for this award, you must:
• Be active in the OEM Hardware Solutions competency, Device Manufacturing specialization.
• First profile your nominated solutions in Partner Solution Profiler.

“Microsoft is pleased to recognize Plantronics as the OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing Partner of the Year for developing a highly innovative and easy-to-use hardware accessory to accompany Microsoft’s Unified Communications,” said Ross Brown, Vice President, Solution Partners and ISVs, Microsoft Corp. “Plantronics’ solution provides seamless transition from analog telephones to unified communications solutions, providing significant ROI, customer satisfaction, and broader adoption.”

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions over the last year.

www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/wwpc/default.mspx

Plantronics – The Voice of Unified Communications™
Plantronics offers one of the industry’s most complete families of corded and wireless products for unified communications. Widely recognized for their sound quality, reliability and comfort, Plantronics’ audio solutions help companies extend the benefits of IP communications throughout the extended enterprise, fostering better business communication and efficiency regardless of where professionals are working.

For more information about Plantronics’ UC-ready products, visit: http://www.plantronics.com/uc

Technische (R)evolution: Neues Profi-Bluetooth-Headset Voyager PRO

atarabout — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:09:19 +0000

Plantronics setzt mit innovativer WindSmart- und Noise-Cancelling-Technologie neue Maßstäbe bei Klang- und Sprachqualität

Hürth, 24.06.2009 – Plantronics hat mit dem Voyager PRO sein bisher leistungsstärkstes Bluetooth-Headset für die professionelle Nutzung entwickelt. Das Headset für den mobilen Manager bietet erstklassige Wind- und Geräuschreduzierung sowie beste Klang- und Sprachqualität auf beiden Seiten der Leitung.

Die Reduzierung von Windgeräuschen ist bei Headsets eine technische Herausforderung. Plantronics hat hierfür eine dreistufige Lösung entwickelt. Das Voyager PRO nutzt eine Mikrofonummantelung aus rostfreiem Stahl und eine GORE-Membran für zusätzlichen akustischen Schutz, zwei Mikrofone und elektronische Filter. AudioIQ², die zweite Generation der AudioIQ-Noise-Cancelling-Technologie mit digitaler Signalverarbeitung (Digital Signal Processing, DSP) von Plantronics, sorgt schließlich für erstklassige Klangqualität. Die intelligente Technologie passt die Lautstärke automatisch dem Geräuschpegel in der Umgebung an und erkennt den Unterschied zwischen Stimme und Hintergrundgeräuschen. Letztere reduziert sie auf ein Minimum. Ausgezeichnete Inbound-Audio-Qualität garantiert, dass auch der Headset-Nutzer selbst seinen Gesprächspartner einwandfrei versteht.

Ob im Café, am Flughafen oder auf einer belebten Straße, das Voyager PRO ist ideal beispielsweise für Vertriebsmitarbeiter, die von unterwegs arbeiten und dabei in den verschiedensten Umgebungen viel mit Kunden oder Kollegen telefonieren. Und - Bei denen gute Sprachverständlichkeit ein absolutes Muss ist.

Dank MultiPoint-Technologie kann das Voyager PRO gleichzeitig aktiv mit zwei Bluetooth-Geräten genutzt werden. Die Tasten für das Ein- und Ausschalten, Lautstärkeregelung und Stummschaltung lassen sich intuitiv und schnell bedienen. Eine automatische Ansage informiert den Nutzer über niedrigen Akkustand und den Status der Mikrofonstummschaltung. Das Ohrbügel-Headset Voyager PRO kann durch den flexiblen Mikrofonarm sowohl rechts als auch links getragen werden. Mit den Silikonstöpseln in verschiedenen Größen sitzt das Headset den ganzen Tag sicher und bequem im Ohr. Es bietet bis zu 6 Stunden Sprech- und bis zu 120 Stunden (5 Tage) Standby-Zeit.

Preise und Verfügbarkeit
Das Plantronics Voyager PRO ist ab Mitte Juli für 99,99 Euro (UVP inkl. Mwst.) im Fachhandel erhältlich.

Plantronics Honored as 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards Winner in OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing

kauby — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:01:42 +0000

Plantronics Honored as 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards Winner in OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing

SANTA CRUZ, CA, — June 24, 2009 — Today, Plantronics proudly
announced it has been selected as a 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards winner in OEM Hardware Solutions, Device Manufacturing. The company was chosen out of an international field of top Microsoft partners as delivering market-leading customer solutions built on Microsoft technology.

Be active in the OEM Hardware Solutions competency, Device Manufacturing specialization.
First profile your nominated solutions in Partner Solution Profiler.

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions over the last year.

Plantronics – The Voice of Unified Communications™

For more information about Plantronics’ UC-ready products, visit: http://www.plantronics.com/uc

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, .Audio, and The Voice of Unified Communications are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc.

All other Product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

El nuevo auricular Voyager PRO Bluetooth con AudioIQ2 de Plantronics abre una nueva dimensión de calidad de sonido y comodidad

atarabout — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:09:50 +0000

Su avanzado diseño combina excelentes prestaciones de anulación del ruido de fondo y reducción del ruido causado por el viento con un sonido superior.

Madrid, 23 de junio de 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) ha dado un nuevo paso en sus 47 años de historia de excelencia en el ámbito del sonido con el nuevo auricular Plantronics Voyager® PRO Bluetooth®. El Plantronics Voyager PRO está equipado con AudioIQ2, la segunda generación de su tecnología AudioIQ de procesamiento de señales digitales (DSP), para ofrecer una calidad de sonido superior y reducir el ruido causado por el viento, así como un sonido natural para oír y ser oído con nitidez.

El Plantronics Voyager PRO es el sucesor del exitoso Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth, un auricular de culto entre los amantes de estos dispositivos. Como el Voyager 510, el nuevo Plantronics Voyager PRO ha sido diseñado pensando en los profesionales en movimiento que necesitan comodidad durante toda la jornada laboral y un audio excelente donde quiera que estén trabajando.

Ingeniería de diseño para un sonido de calidad
Los usuarios de auriculares de hoy demandan un elevado nivel de reducción de ruido y el Plantronics Voyager PRO lo consigue gracias a la tecnología AudioIQ2 y una exclusiva varilla ajustable con dos micrófonos. Aunque otros auriculares ofrecen anulación de ruido —en detrimento de la calidad general de sonido—, la varilla ofrece la ventaja de capturar la voz cerca de la boca. Así, la tecnología AudioIQ2 puede eliminar más eficazmente el ruido del ambiente y, al mismo tiempo, mantener el sonido natural de la voz.

El auricular también reduce eficazmente el ruido provocado por el viento, una de las principales causas de molestias durante las llamadas. Plantronics Voyager PRO está equipado con tres capas de tecnología WindSmart®. Las rejillas externas en acero inoxidable de los micrófonos y los tejidos acústicos que los rodean crean barreras físicas para el ruido que genera el viento. Al mismo tiempo, los algoritmos DSP de la tecnología AudioIQ2 separan de forma inteligente la voz del viento para ofrecer un sonido nítido a los usuarios.

Finalmente, el Voyager PRO consigue una calidad de sonido sin competencia para garantizar que todo se oye a ambos lados de una conversación. Cuenta con un altavoz personalizado que ofrece un espectro de sonido completo para unas conversaciones más ricas y naturales. Su ecualizador adaptativo de 20 bandas elimina las distorsiones y trabaja en conjunción con la tecnología AudioIQ2 para ajustar automáticamente los niveles de sonido en función del ruido circundante y conseguir la máxima claridad de audición.

«Plantronics se distingue por la prioridad absoluta que concede a una idea: conseguir la máxima perfección en sus auriculares. Para el Plantronics Voyager PRO, decidimos diseñar un auricular de altas prestaciones para los profesionales de hoy que no sólo demandan la máxima calidad de sonido a ambos lados de la llamada, sino que también valoran la comodidad y usabilidad», señaló Renee Niemi, vicepresidente y director general de la división de Dispositivos Móviles y Entretenimiento de Plantronics. «El Voyager PRO abre nuevos caminos para los auriculares Bluetooth y los consumidores estarán encantados con la experiencia total que ofrecen», añadió.

Diseñado para ser cómodo
El Plantronics Voyager PRO pasó por el increíble número de 24 rondas de pruebas de factores humanos para perfeccionar el diseño y conseguir que fuera estable y cómodo durante toda la jornada de trabajo. Su estilo de uso por detrás de la oreja está perfectamente equilibrado de forma que el peso se distribuye equitativamente y parece que no pesa cuando se lleva puesto. La almohadilla del Voyager PRO está hecha de silicona blanda para un ajuste óptimo y cuenta con un canal de sonido que ayuda a distribuir el audio uniformemente hasta la oreja.

Diseñado para el profesional en movimiento
El Plantronics Voyager PRO ha sido diseñado para los profesionales en constante movimiento. Incluye controles de batería, volumen y silencio fácilmente accesibles. Puede conectarse a dos teléfonos móviles diferentes gracias a su tecnología multipunto y se pliega para poder guardarlo fácilmente. El Voyager PRO también cuenta con avisos de voz para las advertencias de batería baja y el estado de silencio. Finalmente, su batería de polímero de litio ofrece hasta seis horas de conversación continua y hasta cinco días de tiempo de espera, cifras que superan a las de la mayoría de teléfonos móviles.

Precios y disponibilidad
El Plantronics Voyager PRO se comercializa a un precio de 99,90 euros. Si desea más información sobre el Plantronics Voyager PRO visite http://www.plantronics.com/voyagerpro.

New Plantronics Voyager PRO bluetooth headset with AudioIQ2 delivers breakthrough in sound quality and comfort

atarabout — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:09:29 +0000

Advanced Design Combines Superior Noise Cancellation,
Wind Reduction and Inbound Audio

London – 22nd June, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today continued its 47-year legacy of audio expertise and ingenuity with the new Plantronics Voyager® PRO Bluetooth® headset. Plantronics Voyager PRO features AudioIQ2, the next generation of its AudioIQ digital signal processing (DSP) technology, to deliver superior noise and wind cancellation as well as rich, natural inbound audio so you can hear and be heard clearly.

The Plantronics Voyager PRO is the successor to the popular Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth headset, a cult favorite among headset enthusiasts. Like the Voyager 510, the new Plantronics Voyager PRO is designed for mobile professionals who need all-day wearing comfort and excellent audio wherever they are working.
Engineered for Sound Quality

Today’s headset users expect great noise cancellation and Plantronics Voyager PRO delivers it with AudioIQ2 and a unique adjustable dual-microphone boom. While other headsets deliver noise cancellation at the expense of overall audio quality, the boom provides the advantage of capturing your voice close to your mouth so the AudioIQ2 technology can more effectively remove ambient noise, while still maintaining the natural sound of your voice.

The headset also effectively minimizes wind noise – a major cause of disruption during calls. Plantronics Voyager PRO features three layers of WindSmart® technology. Dual external stainless steel microphone screens and acoustic fabrics that surround the microphones together provide substantial physical barriers to wind noise. At the same time, the AudioIQ2 DSP algorithms intelligently decipher your voice from the wind to deliver clear sound to your listener.

Finally, Voyager PRO delivers unmatched inbound audio quality to ensure every word is heard on both sides of a conversation. It features a custom speaker that delivers full-spectrum audio so conversations are richer and more vibrant. The adaptive 20-band equalizer delivers distortion-free audio and works with AudioIQ2 to automatically adjust sound levels based on the noise level around you to ensure maximum audibility.
“Plantronics is singularly focused on one thing – the headset perfected. With the Plantronics Voyager PRO we set out to engineer a high-performance headset for today’s professional user who not only demands unparalleled sound quality on both sides of call, but also insists on comfort and usability,” said Renee Niemi, vice president and general manager of the Plantronics Mobile and Entertainment Division. “Voyager PRO breaks new ground in Bluetooth headsets, and consumers will be delighted by the total experience.”

Engineered for Comfort
The Plantronics Voyager PRO endured an extraordinary 24 rounds of human factors testing to perfect the design for all-day wearing comfort and stability. The behind-the-ear wearing style is perfectly counterbalanced so weight is distributed evenly, rendering it virtually weightless when worn. The Voyager PRO ear tip is made of soft silicone for an optimal fit and features a “sound channel” that helps distribute audio evenly to the ear.

Engineered for the Mobile Professional
The Plantronics Voyager PRO was designed for the mobile professional user. It includes easily accessible power, volume and mute buttons. It can seamlessly connect to two different mobile phones with multipoint technology, and it folds up easily for storage. The Voyager PRO also features voice prompts for low battery warnings and mute status. Finally, the lithium polymer battery provides up to six hours of continuous talk time and five days of stand-by time, exceeding the talk and standby times of most mobile phones.

Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics Voyager PRO is available for £79.99 at www.plantronics.com. For more information about the Plantronics Voyager PRO, please visit: http://www.plantronics.com/voyagerpro.

Nieuwe Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset met AudioIQ2 doorbraak in geluidskwaliteit en comfort

atarabout — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:09:42 +0000

Hoofddorp, 19 juni 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) zet vandaag zijn 47-jaar oude traditie voort met de nieuwe Plantronics Voyager® PRO Bluetooth® headset. De Voyager PRO bezit AudioIQ2, de nieuwe generatie van de AudioIQ digital signal processing (DSP) technologie, die superieure geluids- en windreductie levert evenals rijke, natuurlijke inbound audio.

De Plantronics Voyager PRO is de opvolger van de populaire Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth headset, een cultfavoriet onder enthousiaste headsetgebruikers. Net zoals de Voyager 510, is de nieuwe Plantronics Voyager PRO ontworpen voor mobiele professionals die behoefte hebben aan draagcomfort gedurende de hele dag en excellente audio ongeacht waar ze werken.

Geluidskwaliteit
De Plantronics Voyager PRO onderdrukt met AudioIQ2 en verstelbare microfoon, achtergrondgeluid op een ongeëvenaarde manier. Doordat de verstelbare microfoon van de nieuwe Voyager PRO dicht bij je mond wordt geplaatst, kan de AudioIQ2 technologie effectiever omringend geluid verwijderen, terwijl het natuurlijke geluid van je stem behouden blijft.

De headset elimineert ook effectief lawaai door de wind – een belangrijke oorzaak van verstoringen tijdens gesprekken in de openlucht. Plantronics Voyager PRO heeft drie lagen WindSmart® technologie. De microfoon bestaat uit roestvrij staal en biedt samen met de akoestische vormgeving een fysieke barrière voor lawaai door de wind. Tegelijkertijd, ontcijferen de AudioIQ2 DSP algorithmen op intelligente wijze een stem om de persoon aan de andere kant van de lijn duidelijk en helder stemgeluid te bieden.

“Plantronics richt zich op een ding – de perfectie van de headset. Met de Plantronics Voyager PRO hadden we een krachtige headset voor ogen voor de professionale gebruiker van vandaag de dag die niet alleen ongekende geluidskwaliteit wil voor beide zijden van de lijn maar ook comfort en gebruiksvriendelijkheid wenst,” zegt Renee Niemi, vice president en general manager bij Plantronics Mobile and Entertainment Division.

Comfort
De Plantronics Voyager PRO doorstond 24 testronden om het ontwerp te perfectioneren. De achter-de-orendraagstijl is perfect om het gewicht gelijk te verdelen, en voelt bijna gewichtsloos aan als het gedragen wordt. Het oorgedeelte is gemaakt van zacht silicone voor een optimale pasvorm en biedt een “geluidskanaal” die helpt de audio gelijk over het oor te verdelen.

Ontworpen voor de mobiele professional
De Plantronics Voyager PRO is ontworpen voor de professionele mobiele gebruiker. Dankzij multipoint technologie kan de headset naadloos worden verbonden met twee verschillende mobiele telefoons. Tevens kan hij makkelijk worden opgevouwen. De Voyager PRO geeft waarschuwingen als de batterij bijna leeg is en als hij op mute staat. Tenslotte biedt de lithium-polymeer batterij een spreektijd van zes uur en standby-tijd van vijf dagen, en overtreft hierbij de meeste mobiele telefoons.

Prijs en beschikbaarheid
De Plantronics Voyager PRO is verkrijgbaar voor 99,99 euro bij de geautoriseerde Plantronics wederverkoper. Kijk voor meer informatie over de Plantronics Voyager PRO, op: http://www.plantronics.com/voyagerpro.

Plantronics lanza el primer sistema de auriculares VoIP para centros de atención telefónica

atarabout — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:09:05 +0000

Con el sistema de auriculares VoIP IP40 de Plantronics, los centros de atención telefónica ya no tienen que instalar teléfonos IP y procesadores de audio por separado, ya que este modelo fusiona ambos dispositivos en un único producto fácil de usar.

Madrid, 17 de junio de 2009– Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) ha anunciado hoy el lanzamiento de su nuevo sistema de auriculares VoIP, el Plantronics IP40. El nuevo IP40 —un producto verdaderamente innovador en el mercado— es un teléfono IP sencillo y revolucionario para los centros de atención telefónica.

El Plantronics IP40 ayuda a despejar las mesas de trabajo en los centro de atención telefónica y reduce los costes hasta 100 euros por puesto al eliminar la necesidad de tener teléfonos de escritorio con infinidad de funciones e interfaces redundantes o de realizar costosas actualizaciones informáticas para instalar teléfonos virtuales IP. Enchufando el dispositivo directamente el puerto Ethernet, los agentes telefónicos ya no necesitan un teléfono IP de escritorio o un teléfono virtual para realizar y recibir llamadas. A diferencia de un teléfono virtual, el IP40 garantiza calidad de audio porque el canal que recorre la voz es totalmente independiente del PC.

El IP40 es compatible con las aplicaciones para centros de atención telefónica de la mayoría de grandes fabricantes y ofrece un sonido claro y diáfano, fiabilidad, reducidas dimensiones y un precio competitivo. El IP40 es un gran complemento para los estilos de trabajo flexible y puede utilizarse en un centro de atención telefónica o desde una oficina remota o doméstica.

«A medida que la infraestructura tecnológica de los centros de atención telefónica actuales ha ido evolucionando hacia modelos VoIP y SIP, hemos detectado un vacío en el mercado y una necesidad creciente de disponer de opciones más fiables para prestar estos servicios», señala Philip Vanhoutte, director general para Europa, Oriente Próximo y África de Plantronics. «Nuestro nuevo IP40 es un auricular VoIP compacto fácil de usar que tiene todas las ventajas de un teléfono IP y un cliente informático, pero ninguna de sus desventajas. Dicho de forma simple, ofrece todo lo que uno necesita, pero nada de lo que no».

Después de probarlo en INOVO Contact Centre Solutions, Eugene Schalwyk, el director tecnológico de la compañía, destacó: «Nos encanta el IP40, de verdad. Es una propuesta de valor única para un centro de atención telefónica. No sólo reduce considerablemente la complejidad a la que se tienen que enfrenten los agentes telefónicos; también es fácil de instalar y mantener. El mercado llevaba mucho tiempo demandando un producto como éste y por fin podemos ofrecen un dispositivo SIP de alta calidad y coste reducido».

El IP40 es compatible con los auriculares profesionales de Plantronics y se instala con sólo enchufarlo. Está equipado con los botones de control más importantes y admite alimentación eléctrica a través de Ethernet.

El IP40 estará disponible en junio a un precio de 155 euros (IVA no incluido). Si desea más información sobre precios y disponibilidad, póngase en contacto llamando al 902 431 542.

Plantronics, la voz de las comunicaciones unificadas
Plantronics comercializa una de las gamas de productos con cable e inalámbricos más completas del sector para comunicaciones unificadas. Ampliamente reconocidos por su calidad de sonido, su fiabilidad y su comodidad, los productos de audio de Plantronics ayudan a las empresas a trasladar las ventajas de las comunicaciones IP a toda su estructura. Estos productos mejoran las comunicaciones empresariales y la eficiencia con independencia del lugar desde el que trabajen los profesionales.

Maxxus Communications wint Plantronics’ Wireless Office prijs

atarabout — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:08:29 +0000

Hoofddorp, 15 mei 2009 — Headsetspecialist Plantronics overhandigde deze week de Wireless Office prijs aan zijn partner MaXXus Communications. MaXXus is de winnaar van de jaarlijkse Wireless Office Campagne die Plantronics organiseert om de voordelen van draadloos bellen onder de aandacht te brengen bij potentiële klanten. MaXXus Communications verkocht in het afgelopen half jaar de meeste draadloze Plantronics headsets en won een 47 inch Philips Ambilight LCD-tv.

Een van de draadloze headsets die Plantronics met deze campagne onder de aandacht wil brengen is de CS60. Deze DECT-headset heeft een bereik tot 100 meter van het oplaadstation en maakt het de gebruiker mogelijk tijdens het bellen weg te lopen van zijn bureau en de handen vrij te houden voor andere werkzaamheden. Bedrijven kregen tijdens de campagne, de mogelijkheid draadloze headsets te testen en de voordelen te ervaren. En dat werkt: veel klanten zijn na de proefperiode permanent overgestapt op een draadloze headset.

Brenda van Dura, manager eXXtended solutions bij MaXXus Communications, is verheugd met de prijs en de resultaten van de campagne. ‘Dit initiatief van Plantronics sluit naadloos aan bij de wensen van bedrijven om de bewegingsvrijheid van medewerkers te vergroten en de geluidskwaliteit van gesprekken te verbeteren. De reacties waren dan ook zeer positief. Dit heeft ons niet alleen geholpen bij de verkoop van Plantronics producten, de verkoop van ons gehele portfolio is toegenomen’, lacht Van Dura. ‘Het aantal kantoorwerkers dat geen headset gebruikt, is nog groot. Dit betekent dat er een groot marktpotentieel ligt voor onze partners’, zegt Peter Wuyts, General Manager Benelux en Nordics bij Plantronics. ‘Uit ervaring weten we dat wanneer kantoorwerkers eenmaal een headset gebruiken, ze niet meer zonder willen.’

Maxxus Communications remporte le prix Wireless Office de Plantronics

atarabout — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:08:22 +0000

Hoofddorp, le 15 mai 2009 — Le spécialiste des casques Plantronics a remis cette semaine le prix Wireless Office à son partenaire MaXXus Communications. MaXXus est le gagnant de la Campagne annuelle Wireless Office, que Plantronics organise pour attirer l’attention des clients potentiels sur les avantages de la téléphonie sans fil. Au cours de ces six derniers mois, MaXXus Communications a vendu le plus de casques Plantronics sans fil et a remporté un téléviseur LCD Philips Ambilight de 47 pouces. Le CS60 est l’un des casques sans fil que Plantronics souhaite mettre à l’honneur par le biais de cette campagne. Ce casque DECT a une portée de 100 mètres et permet à l’utilisateur de s’éloigner de la station d’accueil pendant une communication tout en gardant les mains libres pour d’autres tâches. Durant la campagne, les entreprises ont eu la possibilité d’essayer des casques sans fil et d’en découvrir les avantages. Et cela fonctionne : de nombreux clients ont définitivement opté pour un casque sans fil après la période d’essai.

Brenda van Dura, Manager eXXtended Solutions chez MaXXus Communications, est ravie du prix et des résultats de la campagne. « Cette initiative de Plantronics répond parfaitement au souhait des entreprises d’augmenter la liberté de mouvement des collaborateurs et d’améliorer la qualité sonore des communications. Les réactions ont été par conséquent très positives. Ceci nous a permis non seulement de vendre des produits Plantronics, mais également d’augmenter les ventes de l’ensemble de notre portefeuille », a déclaré Brenda Van Dura en souriant.

« Le nombre d’employés qui n’utilisent pas encore de casque dans les bureaux est encore élevé. Peter Wuyts, General Manager Benelux et Nordics chez Plantronics, a déclaré : « Ceci signifie que le potentiel commercial de nos partenaires est important. Nous savons par expérience qu’une fois que des employés ont utilisé un casque, ils ne peuvent plus s’en passer. »

Plantronics introduceert eerste VoIP headsetsysteem voor contactcenters

atarabout — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:08:55 +0000

Plantronics´ IP40 headsysteem elimineert de behoefte van contactcentra aan afzonderlijke IP telefoons en audioprocessors - door beide apparaten te combineren in één product

Hoofddorp, 9 juni 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) lanceert vandaag het nieuwe VoIP headsetsysteem, de Plantronics IP40. Deze IP-telefoon voor contactcenters is de eerste in zijn soort in de markt.

De IP40 is een SIP end-point die contactcenter desktops vereenvoudigt. Tevens kunnen de kosten tot wel €100 per medewerker worden verlaagd door de behoefte te elimineren aan desktelefoons met teveel functies en overtollige interfaces of aan dure pc upgrades om de IP softphones te laten draaien. Doordat de IP40 direct in het ethernetslot kan worden geplugd, hebben medewerkers niet langer een IP desk phone of softphone nodig om te bellen en gebeld te worden. In tegenstelling tot een softphone, garandeert de IP40 audiokwaliteit met een spraakpad dat volledig onafhankelijk is van de pc.

‘Aangezien de infrastructuur in de contactcentra verschuift naar VoIP en SIP, zien we een kans in de markt deze services te bieden’, zegt Philip Vanhoutte, EMEA Managing Director bij Plantronics. ‘Onze nieuwe IP40 is een compact en simpel te gebruiken VoIP headsetsysteem voor contactcenters en bezit alle voordelen van een IP-telefoon en een soft client maar geen van hun nadelen. Om het simpel te zeggen, het biedt alles wat je nodig hebt van deze oplossingen maar niets dat je niet nodig hebt.’

Het product is compatibel met de contactcenterapplicaties van de meeste grote fabrikanten en biedt duidelijke en heldere audiokwaliteit, betrouwbaarheid en een concurrerende prijs. De IP40 kan gebruikt worden in contactcenters, maar is ook geschikt voor het (thuis)kantoor, en ondersteunt het flexibele werken.

De IP40 is al getest bij Leenart & Heemskerk. Maurice Spierenburg, ICT-adviseur licht toe :‘We vinden de IP40 geweldig. De markt heeft een lange tijd om een dergelijk product gevraagd. Hij vermindert de complexiteit met alleen functies voor het aannemen en beëindigen van gesprekken en het volume. Daarnaast overtreft de geluidskwaliteit van de IP40 onze huidige IP-telefoons. Het product is handzaam, klein, kosteneffectief en bovendien makkelijk te installeren en onderhouden.’

De nieuwe audioprocessor is compatibel met professionele headsets van Plantronics en biedt een gebruikersvriendelijke plug-and-play-installatie. De buttons voor vaakgebruikte gesprekfuncties en de power over ethernet support zitten op het apparaat.

De IP40 is vanaf juni verkrijgbaar en kost 155 euro (excl. BTW).

Weltneuheit von Plantronics: Erster IP-Adapter für VoIP im Callcenter

atarabout — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:08:48 +0000

Der IP40 integriert Telefon und Audio-Prozessor in einem einzigen Gerät

Hürth, 08.06.2009 – Mit dem IP-Adapter IP40 von Plantronics können Callcenter erstmalig alle Vorteile von VoIP nutzen, ohne komplizierte Soft- oder Hardphone-Lösungen anschaffen zu müssen. Der IP40 integriert einen leicht bedienbaren IP-Adapter und einen Audio-Prozessor in einem Gerät. Der Adapter wird direkt an den Ethernetport angeschlossen und macht IP-Soft- oder IP-Hardphones überflüssig. Callcenter können so Kostensparen und die Arbeitsumgebung noch effizienter gestalten.

Das IP40 ist mit allen gängigen Callcenter-Applikationen kompatibel und wird über das Agent Control Panel dieser Applikationen angesteuert. Darüber hinaus bietet der IP40 eine kristallklare Sprachqualität. Über Tasten am Adapter können Gespräche angenommen und beendet, die Lautstärke geregelt und das Mikrofon stumm geschaltet werden.

„VoIP und SIP werden in der Infrastruktur von modernen Callcentern zunehmend wichtiger, gleichzeitig fehlt es hier an zuverlässigen Produkten für diese Dienste“, sagt Philip Vanhoute, Managing Director Plantronics EMEA. „Mit dem IP40 füllen wir diese Marktlücke. Denn der kompakte VoIP-Adapter vereint die Vorteile eines Softphones in einem Gerät. Kurz gesagt: Es kann alles, was man braucht und nichts, was man nicht braucht.“
Das IP40 ist mit allen professionellen schnurgebundenen Headsets von Plantronics kompatibel. Die Stromversorgung erfolgt über den Ethernetport.

Preise und Verfügbarkeit
Der IP-Adapter IP40 ist ab sofort im Fachhandel für Euro 155,00 (exkl. MwSt.) erhältlich.

Plantronics – the Voice of Unified Communications
Unified Communications verbindet verschiedene Kommunikationsmedien wie Instant Messaging, IP-Telefonie und klassische Telekommunikation, und bietet Unternehmen die Möglichkeit einer integrierten und intuitiv ablaufenden Bürokommunikation. Plantronics bietet für Unified Communications umfangreiche schnurlose und schnurgebundene Produktfamilien. Bekannt für ihre Klangqualität, Verlässlichkeit und guten Komfort, helfen die Lösungen von Plantronics, die Vorteile von Unified Communications unternehmensweit zu nutzen. Dies verbessert die Kommunikation des Unternehmens und erhöht die Effizienz – unabhängig vom Ort des Arbeitsplatzes der Angestellten.

Acclaimed Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset Broadly Available at Major Retail and Wireless Carrier Stores in the US

drace — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:00:32 +0000

CNET and PC Magazine Bestow Editors’ Choice Awards on Voyager PRO for Superior Noise Cancellation, Wind Reduction and Inbound Audio

SANTA CRUZ, CA – June 5, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced the broad availability of the award-winning Plantronics Voyager^® PRO Bluetooth^® headset at major retail and wireless carrier stores across the United States.

The broader availability comes on the heels of multiple industry accolades, in just six weeks since launch, including the coveted CNET and PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Awards. The Plantronics Voyager PRO breaks new ground in Bluetooth headsets delivering total audio quality that features world-class noise and wind cancellation as well as rich, natural inbound audio. With Voyager PRO you can finally hear and be heard clearly.

The CNET Editors’ Choice award recognizes outstanding consumer electronics that represent the best available choice for quality, performance, design, service, value, and its logo is a mark of excellence denoting the best possible investment for consumers.

CNET Editors’ Choice winners are recognized as top products in their respective technology categories, and contribute to the standard by which all future products are judged. A key selection requirement is that it must also change the competitive landscape of its market, whether through innovative features, exceptional value for the price, remarkable ease of use, or a demonstrable boost to the lives of its users.

PC Magazine delivers authoritative, labs-based comparative reviews of computing and Internet products to highly engaged technology buyers. Its highly acclaimed PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Awards are given to the products they have identified as the best from the hundreds tested in PC Magazine Labs.

“Our goal with Voyager PRO was to create the premier headset for today’s demanding professional user, and with these two prestigious awards along with the overwhelmingly positive response we have gotten from the media, bloggers, and consumers we know we hit the mark,” said Renee Niemi, vice president and general manager for Plantronics Mobile and Entertainment Division. “Consumers now have more options to purchase the Voyager PRO with expanded availability across the US so they can experience the Voyager PRO difference first hand.”

Nationwide Availability

The Plantronics Voyager PRO will be available at Amazon.com, Fry’s and Sprint for $99.99 beginning this Sunday, June 7, 2009. It will also be available at both Airport Wireless and Tech Showcase stores beginning June 15, 2009. Voyager PRO is currently available at Best Buy and www.plantronics.com.

Engineered for Sound Quality™

The Plantronics Voyager PRO delivers world-class noise-cancellation with AudioIQ²technology, the next generation of its AudioIQ(R) digital signal processing (DSP) technology that is enhanced by a unique adjustable dual-microphone boom. The boom provides the advantage of capturing your voice close to your mouth so the AudioIQ²technology can more effectively remove ambient noise, while still maintaining the natural sound of your voice.

Plantronics Voyager PRO features three layers of WindSmart^® technology to minimize wind distortion. Dual external stainless steel microphone screens and acoustic fabrics that surround the microphones provide substantial physical barriers to wind noise. At the same time, AudioIQ²intelligently deciphers your voice from the wind to deliver clear sound to your listener.

Voyager PRO also delivers unmatched inbound audio quality to ensure every word is heard on both sides of a conversation. It features a custom speaker that delivers full-spectrum audio so conversations are richer and more vibrant. The adaptive 20-band equalizer delivers distortion-free audio and works with AudioIQ² technology to automatically adjust sound to comfortable levels based on the noise level around you to ensure maximum audibility.

For more information about the Plantronics Voyager PRO, please visit: http://www.plantronics.com/voyagerpro.

About Plantronics

# # #

Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, AudioIQ², Engineered for Sound Quality, Plantronics Voyager, and WindSmart are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Plantronics Launches First VoIP Headset System for Contact Centres

atarabout — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:08:38 +0000

Plantronics’ IP40 VoIP Headset System eliminates the need for contact centres to implement separate IP phones and audio processors – by combining both devices into one simple to use product!

London: June 2nd 2009– Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced the launch of their new VoIP Headset System, the Plantronics IP40. The very first of its kind in the market, the new IP40 is a groundbreaking, simplified IP phone for contact centres.

Plantronics IP40 simplifies contact centre desktops and lowers costs by up to €100 (£90) per agent position by eliminating the need for over featured desk phones with largely redundant interfaces or expensive PC upgrades required to run IP softphones. Plugging directly into the Ethernet port, agents no longer need an IP desk phone or softphone to place and receive calls. Unlike a soft phone the IP40 guarantees audio quality as with the voice path being entirely independent of the PC.

Compatible with Contact Centre Applications from most major vendors, the IP40 delivers clear and crisp audio quality, reliability, a small form factor and a competitive price. Complimenting flexible working, the IP40 can be used within a call centre or from a remote or home office.

“As the infrastructure in today’s contact centres continues to move towards VoIP and SIP, we recognized a void in the market and the growing need for a more reliable option to deliver these services,” said Philip Vanhoutte, EMEA Managing Director at Plantronics. “Our new IP40 is a compact, simple-to-use VoIP headset system that has all the advantages of an IP Phone and soft client but none of their disadvantages. To put it simply, it provides all you need and nothing you don’t.”

Already tested at INOVO Contact Centre Solutions, Eugene Schalkwyk, the Chief Technology Officer comments “We simply love the IP40, it provides a unique value proposition for any contact centre. It not only significantly reduces complexity for the operator but is very easy to install and maintain. The market has been asking for a unit like this for a long time and we can finally offer a high quality and cost effective SIP device.”

Compatible with Plantronics professional grade headsets, the IP40 features plug-and-play installation, power over Ethernet support and key control buttons right on the device.

The IP40 will be available in June and is priced at €155/ £138 (exc VAT). Please contact Rowland Harding at GolinHarris on 020 7067 0600 or by email at PlantronicsPR@golinharris.com for more information regarding pricing and availability.

Plantronics – The Voice of Unified Communications
Plantronics offers one of the industry’s most complete families of corded and wireless products for unified communications. Widely recognised for their sound quality, reliability and comfort, Plantronics’ audio solutions help companies extend the benefits of IP communications throughout the extended enterprise, fostering better business communication and efficiency regardless of where professionals are working.

Multimedialità avanzata e conversazioni online: Plantronics presenta .Audio 995

atarabout — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:08:05 +0000

Il nuovo wireless headset di Plantronics garantisce suono digitale stereo per godere al meglio musica, film, giochi e telefonate su Internet con il PC di casa

Milano, 28 maggio 2009 – Plantronics presenta .Audio 995, la nuova cuffia stereo digitale, ideale per tutte le applicazioni multimediali e per le chiamate da PC. Il pregio di .Audio 955 è quello di riuscire a combinare in un unico prodotto suono stereo di grande qualità e potenza, con una perfetta intelligibilità e chiarezza nelle conversazioni, consentendo agli utenti di sfruttare appieno tutte le potenzialità dei propri PC: musica, film, videogiochi e telefonate, il tutto in modalità wireless.

.Audio 995 utilizza il meglio della tecnologia audio Plantronics. La frequenza digitale a 2,4gHz garantisce il massimo della qualità audio, oltre a minimizzare le possibilità di disturbi legati all’interferenza con altre apparecchiature senza fili. Grazie alla tecnologia wireless utilizzata, tutti gli utenti avranno la possibilità di muoversi in libertà mentre indossano le cuffie, ma non solo: le .Audio 995 sono infatti dotate di un comando a distanza posizionato sul padiglione della cuffia che, compatibile con applicazioni come i-Tunes® e Windows Media Player®, consente di controllare in remoto la regolazione del volume, avviare e saltare le tracce musicali in playlist.

“Gli utenti non dovrebbero essere costretti a scegliere tra la qualità del suono e la comodità del wireless, quando acquistano una cuffia per PC” - conferma Matt Miller, Director of PC and Entertainment in Plantronics – “Diversamente da quanto accade normalmente con i prodotti wireless, .Audio 995 non scende a compromessi. Si tratta infatti di un prodotto concepito per migliorare la fruizione di tutte le applicazioni multimediali e vocali del PC, mantenendo un suono stereo di grande qualità, audio pulito e assoluta comodità”.

Plantronics .Audio 995 è equipaggiata con padiglioni soffici e comodi da indossare, mentre la grande leggerezza della cuffia contribuisce a migliorarne il comfort. Il microfono Noise Cancelling è dotato di tecnologia Fast Mic MuteTM permette di disattivare l’audio in uscita semplicemente sollevando l’asta. L’uscita USB è garanzia di una rapida configurazione e connessione plug&play con qualunque PC in commercio.

Disponibilità:
.Audio995 è disponibile presso i rivenditori Plantronics al prezzo di € 99,99

Plantronics introduceert nieuwe draadloze pc headset voor multimedia

atarabout — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:07:55 +0000

De draadloze .Audio 995 headset biedt digital stereogeluid voor muziek, films, gaming en internettelefonie

Hoofddorp, 27 mei 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NSYE: PLT) introduceert vandaag de nieuwe .Audio 995 Digital Wireless stereoheadset voor multimedia en spraakapplicaties op de pc. Digitaal stereogeluid en goede spraakkwaliteit zijn gecombineerd in een product. De headset is geschikt voor alle pc-activiteiten, inclusief het luisteren naar muziek en films, gaming, pc-gespreken en podcasting.

De Plantronics .Audio 995 headset biedt Plantronics geavanceerde audiotechnologie en digitale 2.4gHz frequentie voor exceptionele audio en lage interferentie met andere draadloze apparaten. Gebruikers kunnen tot ruim 10 meter afstand van de pc verwijderen en het volume en de tracks op iTunes en Windows Media Player bedienen via de knoppen op de headset.

‘Consumenten zouden niet hoeven te kiezen tussen superieure audiokwaliteit en de voordelen van draadloos bij het selecteren van een pc-headset’, zegt Matt Miller, director of PC and Entertainment bij Plantronics, Inc. ‘In tegenstelling tot andere draadloze producten op de markt vandaag de dag, zijn er bij de .Audio 995 geen compromissen gemaakt. Wij hebben de .Audio955 juist ontworpen voor een verbeterde gebruikservaring van de vele verschillende multimedia en spraakintensieve applicaties die pc-gebruikers elke dag gebruiken.’

De Plantronics .Audio 995 is uitgerust met zachte, draaibare oorkussen en een lichtgewicht design voor langdurig draagcomfort. De headset is voorzien van de Plantronics’ noise-cancelling Fast Mic Mute technologie waardoor de audio snel en gemakkelijk uit staat wanneer de microfoon omhoog wordt geklapt. Consumenten kunnen de .Audio 995 dankzij de draadloze plug-and-play adapter in een eenvoudige stap aansluiten.

Plantronics presenta un nuevo auricular inalámbrico para PC y Mac que mejora la experiencia telefónica y multimedia

atarabout — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:07:48 +0000

El nuevo .Audio 995 ofrece sonido estéreo digital para escuchar música, ver películas, jugar y llamar por Internet sin cables

Madrid, 27 de mayo de 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) acaba de anunciar el lanzamiento del nuevo auricular digital estéreo e inalámbrico .Audio™ 995 para multimedia y aplicaciones de voz en el PC. El .Audio 995 fusiona sonido digital estéreo enriquecido con una excelente transmisión de la voz, para que los usuarios sólo tengan que utilizar un auricular para todas las actividades que realizan con el PC o el Mac (música, películas, juegos, llamadas telefónicas y reproducción de podcasts), pero sin cables.

El auricular .Audio 995 utiliza tecnología de audio avanzada de Plantronics y la frecuencia digital de 2,4 gHz, lo que se traduce en una calidad de sonido excepcional y menos interferencias con otros dispositivos inalámbricos. Los usuarios pueden alejarse hasta 12 metros del PC y controlar a distancia el volumen, así como reproducir y desplazarse por las diferentes pistas en iTunes® y Windows Media Player® a través de los controles musicales insertados en el cuerpo del auricular.

«Los consumidores no tienen por qué elegir entre excelente calidad de sonido y las ventajas de lo inalámbrico cuando compran un auricular para ordenador», señaló Matt Miller, director del departamento de PC y Entretenimiento de Plantronics. «A diferencia de otros productos inalámbricos que se comercializan actualmente, con el .Audio 995 no hay que tomar decisiones de compromiso. Lo hemos diseñado para mejorar la amplia gama de actividades multimedia y de voz que realizan los usuarios de PC todos los días a través de un sonido estéreo completo, un audio nítido y un ajuste cómodo».

El Plantronics .Audio 995 está equipado con almohadillas orientables acolchadas y un diseño ligero para que resulte cómodo durante usos prolongados. El auricular cuenta con la tecnología de anulación de ruido Fast Mic Mute™ de Plantronics, que silencia rápidamente el audio cuando se mueve la varilla hacia arriba. Los usuarios pueden conectar el .Audio 995 con una única y sencilla operación gracias a su conector USB inalámbrico plug and play.

Precios y disponibilidad
El Plantronics .Audio 995 está disponible ya por un precio de 99,99 euros (IVA incluido). El producto también está disponible en www.plantronics.com. Si desea más información sobre el .Audio 995, visite www.plantronics.com .

Plantronics Introduces New Wireless PC Headset for Enhanced Multimedia and Voice Experiences

atarabout — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:07:40 +0000

The .Audio 995 Wireless Headset Provides Digital Stereo Sound for Music, Movies, Gaming and Internet Calls Without the Cords

London – May 27, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today introduced the new .Audio™ 995 Digital Wireless Stereo Headset for multimedia and voice applications on the PC. The .Audio 995 combines rich digital stereo sound and great voice quality to provide users with a single headset for all of their PC activities — including music and movie listening, gaming, PC calls and podcasting — without the cords.

The Plantronics .Audio 995 headset utilizes advanced Plantronics audio technology and the digital 2.4gHz frequency for exceptional audio and lower interference with other wireless devices. Users can wirelessly roam up to 40 feet away from the PC and remotely control volume, play and skip tracks on iTunes® and Windows Media Player® via music controls directly on the earpiece.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to decide between superior audio quality and the benefits of wireless when selecting a PC headset,” said Matt Miller, director of PC and Entertainment at Plantronics, Inc. “Unlike other wireless products on the market today, there are no compromises with the .Audio 995. We designed it to enhance the array of multimedia and voice-intensive activities that PC users perform everyday through full-range stereo sound, clear audio and a comfortable fit.”

The Plantronics .Audio 955 includes pillow-soft, swivel-mounted ear cushions and a lightweight design for long-wearing comfort. The headset features Plantronics’ noise-canceling Fast Mic Mute™ technology, which quickly mutes audio when the boom is raised. Users can connect the .Audio 995 in one simple step with the plug-and-play wireless USB connector.

Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics .Audio 955 is priced at £79.99 The product is also available at www.plantronics.com. For more information about the .Audio 995, please visit www.plantronics.com.

Plantronics Introduces New Wireless PC Headset for Enhanced Multimedia and Voice Experiences

drace — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:32 +0000

The .Audio 995 Wireless Headset Provides Digital Stereo Sound for Music, Movies, Gaming and Internet Calls Without the Cords

SANTA CRUZ, CA – May 27, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today introduced the new .Audio™ 995 Digital Wireless Stereo Headset for multimedia and voice applications on the PC. The .Audio 995 combines rich digital stereo sound and great voice quality to provide users with a single headset for all of their PC activities — including music and movie listening, gaming, PC calls and podcasting — without the cords.

The Plantronics .Audio 995 headset utilizes advanced Plantronics audio technology and the digital 2.4gHz frequency for exceptional audio and lower interference with other wireless devices. Users can wirelessly roam up to 40 feet away from the PC and remotely control volume, play and skip tracks on iTunes® and Windows Media® Player via music controls directly on the earpiece.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to decide between superior audio quality and the benefits of wireless when selecting a PC headset,” said Matt Miller, director of PC and Entertainment at Plantronics, Inc. “Unlike other wireless products on the market, there are no compromises with the .Audio 995. We designed it to enhance the array of multimedia and voice-intensive activities that PC users perform everyday through full-range stereo sound, clear audio and a comfortable fit.”

Pricing and Availability

The Plantronics .Audio 955 is available today at Best Buy and select retailers for $99.99. The product is also available at www.plantronics.com. For more information about the .Audio 995, please visit www.plantronics.com.

About Plantronics

# # #

Altec Lansing, .Audio, Clarity, and Fast Mic Mute are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. iTunes is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows Media is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Schnurlos Voipen und Musikhören am PC

atarabout — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:08:11 +0000

Plantronics Headset .Audio 995 besticht durch multimediale Vielseitigkeit und macht dem Kabelsalat ein Ende

Hürth, 20.05.2009 – Ab sofort bietet Plantronics ein neues schnurloses USB-Headset an, das allen multimedialen Ansprüchen am Computer gerecht wird. Egal ob Musik, Spiele, VoIP-Kommunikation oder Spracherkennung: Das Plantronics .Audio 995 ist ein echtes Multitalent und überzeugt bei allen Anwendungen. Ausgestattet mit einer Reichweite von bis zu 30 Metern macht das schnurlose Gerät Schluss mit dem Kabelwirrwarr.

Das .Audio 995 verbindet die gewohnte Sprachqualität eines Plantronics-Headsets mit der Leistung eines hochwertigen Stereokopfhörers: Die digitale Signalverarbeitung (DSP) sorgt für digital verstärkten Klang. 40mm-Stereo-Lautsprecher geben den Sound mit maximalem Bass in Studioqualität wieder. Die Wiedergabe lässt sich praktisch über Tasten am Headset steuern. Das Mikrofon verfügt über eine leicht bedienbare Stummschaltung: Es deaktiviert sich automatisch beim Wegdrehen des Mikrofonarms bzw. schaltet sich beim Zurückdrehen wieder ein. Die QuickAdjust-Funktion ermöglicht eine optimale Positionierung des Noise Cancelling-Mikrofons, das Hintergrundgeräusche reduziert und so auch perfekt für Spracherkennung am PC geeignet ist.

Auspacken und loslegen: Dank Plug & Play ist keine Installation von Software oder Treibern erforderlich, der schnurlose USB-Adapter wird lediglich an den Computer angeschlossen. Mit einer Betriebsdauer von sieben Stunden ist das Headset auch für längere Gespräche oder längeres Musikhören gerüstet. Die gepolsterten Ohrkissen und der leichte Ohrbügel garantieren dabei den nötigen Komfort.

Preise und Verfügbarkeit
Das Plantronics .Audio 995 ist ab sofort für 99,95 Euro (UVP inkl. Mwst.) im Fachhandel erhältlich.

Headsets Identified as Key to Sales Success!

atarabout — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:07:19 +0000

With travel budgets on the decline, and a health threat further restricting travel, a survey by Plantronics shows that sales representatives get more intimate with their customers when using a headset for telephone calls.

London – May 19th, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today unveiled the company’s latest market research identifying how headsets shape the experience shared between sales representatives and their customers. With the economic downturn and trimming of travel budgets, companies are becoming increasingly dependent on their salesforces’ ability to foster and maintain valuable customer relationships over the phone.

With the pressure mounting, Plantronics has discovered that throughout the UK and Europe, it’s clear that for sales and customer, using a headset is the key to creating a comfortable and compelling customer experience.

Conducted by research specialist Opinion Matters/Tickbox.net, Plantronics’ online survey polled thousands of sales representatives (not contact centre workers) and customers from the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. In each region, both groups reported a vast preference for the use of a headset during sales/customer calls and expressed the importance of headsets in shaping a positive customer experience.

According to the survey, an overwhelming majority of sales respondents from all regions reported feeling better able, in general, to solve customer/client problems and issues and work more efficiently when using a headset as compared to talking over the telephone with only a handset. In addition, the sales representatives questioned felt that using a headset leads to more satisfactory outcomes for their customers, and even rated headsets as a more vital business tool/accessory than a Blackberry.

Similarly, the majority of customers polled throughout the UK and Europe said they believe that professionals using headsets boosts their experience as a customer, and that they actually feel closer to a salesperson when he/she is using a headset. Furthermore, the same customers said they find sales peoples’ communication skills more effective when they are using a headset rather than a telephone handset.

“As one of the first in our field, the value in using a headset to communicate more efficiently and effectively is a concept we passoniately believe in at Plantronics,” said Philip Vanhoutte, Managing Director at Plantronics EMEA. “We were stunned with the survey results and feel that sales organizations throughout the UK and EMEA could benefit greatly from using headsets to improve their overall customer experience, especially as their travel budgets continue to suffer in today’s rough economic climate.”

Other key findings from the survey include:
- Top two reasons for using a headset are to work more efficiently/smarter and to enable quicker access to customer data/info.
- Other key influencers for headset use include its ability to bring the sales/customer rep closer to the customer as well as appear more natural on the call.
- Almost all respondents felt that their jobs would become more difficult and/or the level of service they provide would suffer if the headset were no longer available
- Headsets were rated the third most important business tool vital to performing their job successfully, just under mobile phones and software tools.
- Sales/customer service representatives feel more effective at communicating with their clients and feel the rapport they build with clients / customers when talking to them is stronger when using a headset.

Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net is a leading market research organisation, carrying out consumer, corporate and niche market surveys online amongst a 50,000+ member panel. The Plantronics and Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net survey was conducted online between 03.02.09 and 12.02.09 amongst a nationally representative sample of adults throughout the UK, France, Germany, Holland and Spain aged 16+. None of the people surveyed were working in a contact centre, where the usage of headsets is the norm . Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net follow the codes of the MRS (Market Research Society) and are fully registered and compliant with the Data Protection Registrar.

Le micro-casque, un élément clef de la réussite dans le secteur des ventes !

atarabout — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:06:40 +0000

À l’heure où les budgets de déplacement sont revus à la baisse, une étude réalisée par Plantronics montre que les commerciaux ont une relation plus proche avec leurs clients lorsqu’ils utilisent un casque pour leurs conversations téléphoniques.

Paris – le 19 mai 2009 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE : PLT) a publié aujourd’hui les conclusions de sa dernière étude de marché, qui révèle que les micro-casques jouent un rôle déterminant dans la qualité de la relation entre vendeurs et clients. À l’heure où l’économie est en crise et où l’on cherche à limiter les budgets de déplacement, les entreprises comptent de plus en plus sur la capacité de leurs forces de vente à nouer et à maintenir des relations téléphoniques fructueuses avec leurs clients.

Dans une situation de plus en plus tendue, Plantronics a pu constater, non seulement au Royaume-Uni mais également dans toute l’Europe, que le fait d’utiliser un micro-casque permettait d’établir une relation décontractée et convaincante avec le client.

Réalisée par le cabinet spécialisé Opinion Matters/Tickbox.net, l’enquête en ligne commandée par Plantronics a permis de recueillir les retours de plusieurs milliers de vendeurs (hors employés de centres d’appels) et de clients, au Royaume-Uni, en France, en Allemagne, aux Pays-Bas et en Espagne. Dans chacun de ces pays, les uns comme les autres ont indiqué à une large majorité qu’ils préféraient qu’un casque soit utilisé pendant les conversations entre vendeur et client, insistant sur l’importance de cet outil dans l’établissement de rapports positifs entre les interlocuteurs.

Selon cette enquête, les responsables des ventes, toutes régions confondues, se disent à une écrasante majorité plus à même, en général, de régler un problème ou une question concernant le client ou le consommateur lorsqu’ils se servent d’un casque, plutôt qu’en réalisant l’appel avec un combiné téléphonique. Ces mêmes vendeurs estiment par ailleurs que le fait d’utiliser un casque est une garantie de meilleurs résultats pour le client lui-même, allant d’ailleurs jusqu’à considérer que le micro-casque est un outil ou un accessoire de travail plus important pour eux que le Blackberry.

Les clients interrogés au Royaume-Uni et dans le reste de l’Europe disent eux aussi, dans leur majorité, que l’utilisation par leurs interlocuteurs professionnels de micro-casques constitue à leurs yeux un élément favorable et qu’ils se sentent plus proches d’un vendeur qui se sert d’un casque pour leur parler au téléphone. Qui plus est, ces mêmes clients ont le sentiment que les vendeurs communiquent mieux avec un casque qu’avec un combiné.

« En tant qu’entreprise figurant parmi les leaders du marché, Plantronics est fermement convaincu qu’un casque permet une communication plus efficace et plus concrète », a déclaré Philip Vanhoutte, Directeur Général de Plantronics EMEA. « Nous avons été très impressionnés par les conclusions de cette enquête et nous estimons que les organismes de vente du Royaume-Uni et de l’ensemble de la zone Europe, Moyen-Orient et Afrique pourraient tirer un réel bénéfice de l’utilisation de casques, pour améliorer leurs relations générales avec la clientèle, notamment à un moment où les budgets de déplacement sont remis en cause par la conjoncture économique difficile que nous connaissons. »

Parmi les autres conclusions de cette enquête, on retiendra notamment les faits suivants :
• Les deux raisons principales citées pour justifier l’utilisation d’un micro-casque sont que celui-ci permet 1) de travailler de manière plus efficace et plus pointue et 2) d’accéder plus rapidement aux données/infos concernant le client.
• Parmi les arguments également invoqués en faveur de l’utilisation du casque : le fait que celui-ci rapproche les interlocuteurs et permet au vendeur de paraître plus naturel au téléphone.
• La presque totalité des personnes interrogées considèrent que, si elles étaient contraintes d’abandonner le casque, leur tâche serait plus compliquée et/ou le niveau de service qu’elles assurent en souffrirait.
• Le casque arrive en troisième position parmi les outils professionnels considérés comme les plus importants, juste après le téléphone portable et les logiciels.
• Les professionnels de la relation vendeur/client se sentent plus à même de communiquer avec leurs clients et considèrent que les relations qu’ils établissent en lui parlant sont plus solides lorsqu’ils se servent d’un casque.

Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net est un institut d’études de marché reconnu, qui réalise des enquêtes en ligne auprès d’un panel de plus de 50 000 personnes. L’enquête menée pour Plantronics par Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net a été effectuée en ligne entre le 03.02.09 et le 12.02.09, auprès d’un échantillon nationalement représentatif de personnes âgées de plus de 16 ans et vivant au Royaume-Uni, en France, en Allemagne, aux Pays-Bas et en Espagne. Aucune des personnes interrogées ne travaillait pour un centre d’appels, où l’usage du casque est la norme. Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net applique les codes de la MRS (Market Research Society) et est reconnu en totale conformité par le Data Protection Registrar.

Attitudes Toward Flexible Working Practices Triumph Despite Recession

atarabout — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:07:32 +0000

57% of UK office managers are more likely to promote flexible working

London – May 18, 2009 –New research from Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), the leading maker of communications headsets, has found that 57% of UK office managers1 would be more likely to allow their employees to work flexibly, despite the recession. The research coincides with Work Wise week 20092, which promotes smarter working practices in the UK.

According to the new study of 1,518 office workers and managers, conducted by Plantronics to understand the impact of the recession on attitudes towards flexible and home working, 59% of UK office workers said that they were still inclined to work from home or ask for flexible working hours despite the current recession.

Just 15% of the office workers surveyed said that they would be significantly less inclined to ask for flexible working hours as a result of the recession, with only 8% of UK office managers saying that they would be a lot less likely to encourage flexible working during the current economic crisis.

Barriers to flexible working
Lack of access to the right technology is seen as a block to home working for workers. 32% of employees feel poorly equipped at home and unsupported by bosses who are reluctant to provide the right technology to facilitate home working. Despite the widespread availability and falling technology prices that could make home working easy, such as high speed broadband, wireless headsets and portable communication devices, people still feel chained to their desks.

Company culture and image also play a crucial part in the attitudes towards flexible working practices. Of those respondents less likely to work from home, 62% said this was because they believed employers looked down on home working and so would worry that their commitment to the job was doubted. Of those sceptical managers, more than a third believe colleagues that work from home are not as productive and don’t have the technology in place to support flexible working practices. In addition, of those managers against flexible working, a third said this was because they want to be able to keep an eye on their staff.

The Generation Gap
Flexible working is thought of as appealing to the younger generation - drawn to the prospect of greater freedom in the workplace. Of all the respondents it was the generation Y group (16-25) however, who said that they were less likely to ask for flexible working hours during the current recession. 18% said they would be much less likely to ask.

By contrast, it was the older generation of 55+ who said that they would not be less inclined to ask for flexible working hours. 69% said that they would still ask. Furthermore, 53% of managers in the 55+ category said that they would also be more inclined to encourage flexible working during the recession.

Regional differences
Attitudes towards flexible working practices differ across the UK. On average approximately two thirds of respondents in the East of England, the Midlands, the North East and all of the South said that they would still be inclined to ask for flexible working hours, with only just over a third feeling the same in London.

Feeling about preparedness for flexible working across the UK is more mixed however. Respondents from London, although less inclined to do so, felt that they were better supported from a technology standpoint with only 14% citing it as a reason against flexible working - compared to 55% in the East of England and 36% in the Midlands.

Dispelling the Workload Myth
Many argue against flexible working because they believe it increases the workloads of those left working from the office. Our research however, shows that 75% of respondents do not have greater workloads due to fewer people being in the office than they did a year ago.

“These results are very surprising and highlight that there is a real appetite for flexible working practices in the UK - among both managers and workers.” Says Paul Clark, General Manager, UK for Plantronics. “Furthermore, I would have thought it would be the younger generation jumping at the chance for flexible working not the older generation who seem to be more inclined to ask for it.”

“We know that attitudes are shifting in favour of flexible working practices and we also know that affordable technology is available for businesses to take advantage of it.” Clark continued, “As a company passionate about developing technology that helps people work smarter and not harder, Plantronics is keen to work with UK businesses to help them take full advantage of the technology, which will enable them to facilitate this shift towards flexible working.”

Un estudio revela la gran importancia de los auriculares para el éxito de las ventas de los comerciales

atarabout — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:07:07 +0000

Los presupuestos de viaje se están recortando y los viajes sufren restricciones adicionales por las amenazas de salud pública. Ante este panorama, un estudio de Plantronics ha demostrado que los representantes comerciales alcanzan mayor confianza con sus clientes cuando usan un auricular para llamar por teléfono.

Madrid, 18 de mayo de 2009.– Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) ha presentado hoy las conclusiones del último estudio de la compañía, que ha ahondado en cómo los auriculares dan forma a la experiencia que comparten los representantes comerciales y sus clientes. Debido a la desaceleración económica y el recorte de los presupuestos de viaje, las empresas dependen cada vez más de la capacidad de sus comerciales para fomentar y mantener relaciones valiosas con clientes por teléfono.

Ahora que aumenta la presión, Plantronics ha puesto de manifiesto que a la hora de vender y tratar con los clientes, para los encuestados de Europa el uso de auriculares es la clave para crear una experiencia de cliente cómoda y atractiva.

Realizado por la empresa de estudios Opinion Matter/Tickbox.net, el cuestionario electrónico de Plantronics encuestó a miles de representantes comerciales (no trabajadores de centros de atención al cliente) y clientes del Reino Unido, Francia, Alemania, Países Bajos y España. En cada región, los dos grupos mostraron una gran preferencia por el uso de auriculares para las llamadas de ventas o con clientes y expresaron la importancia de los auriculares a la hora de dar lugar a una experiencia de cliente positiva.

El auricular facilita el trabajo diario del comercial
De acuerdo con el estudio, una aplastante mayoría de comerciales de todas las regiones aseguraron sentirse, en general, más capacitados para resolver problemas y dudas de clientes y trabajar más eficazmente usando un auricular que hablando por teléfono con sólo un terminal móvil o un microteléfono. Además, los comerciales encuestados señalaron que usar un auricular se traduce en resultados más positivos para sus clientes y incluso consideraron los auriculares como una herramienta/accesorio de trabajo más vital que una Blackberry.

Del mismo modo, la mayoría de clientes encuestados señalaron que, en su opinión, los profesionales que utilizan auriculares potencian su experiencia como clientes y que, de hecho, se sienten más cercanos a un representante comercial cuando éste utiliza un auricular. Además, esos mismos clientes señalaron que para ellos, las habilidades comunicativas de los comerciales eran más efectivas cuando usaban un auricular que cuando usaban un teléfono móvil o un microteléfono.

«Como uno de los líderes en nuestro sector, el valor de usar auriculares para comunicar con mayor eficacia y eficiencia es un concepto en el que creemos firmemente en Plantronics», señaló Philip Vanhoutte, director general de Plantronics para Europa, Oriente Próximo y África (región EMEA). «Nos quedamos impresionados al ver los resultados de la encuesta y pensamos que todas las organizaciones de ventas en la región EMEA (Europa, Oriente Medio y Africa) podrían beneficiarse enormemente del uso de auriculares para mejorar la experiencia global de sus clientes, especialmente a medida que se van reduciendo los presupuestos de viaje en el duro entorno económico actual».

Entre las conclusiones del estudio, también destacan las siguientes:
- Dos de las razones más importantes para utilizar un auricular son trabajar más eficientemente/inteligentemente y tener acceso rápido a datos o información de clientes.
- Otros aspectos clave que influyen en el uso de auriculares son su capacidad de acercar al comercial y al cliente, así como sonar más natural en las llamadas.
- Casi todos los encuestados pensaban que sus trabajos se verían dificultados o el nivel del servicio que prestan se vería perjudicado si no pudieran utilizar un auricular.
- Los auriculares fueron calificados como la tercera herramienta profesional más importante y un instrumento vital para realizar sus trabajos satisfactoriamente, sólo por detrás de los teléfonos móviles y las aplicaciones informáticas.
- Los representantes de ventas y atención al cliente se sienten más eficaces comunicándose con sus clientes y consideran que el vínculo que crean con los clientes al hablar con ellos es más fuerte cuando usan un auricular.

Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net es una destacada empresa de análisis de mercados que realiza estudios de consumo, corporativos y de nicho a través de Internet entre una muestra de más de 50.000 personas. El estudio de Plantronics y Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net se llevó a cabo en Internet entre el 3 y el 12 de febrero de 2009 entre una muestra representativa de adultos del Reino Unido, Francia, Alemania, Holanda y España de más de 16 años. Ninguno de los encuestados trabajaba en un centro de atención al cliente, donde el uso de auriculares es la norma. Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net aplica las directrices de la Sociedad de Estudios de Mercado (MRS, por sus siglas en inglés) y cumple los requisitos establecidos en ley de protección de datos del Reino Unido.

Headsets belangrijk verkoopinstrument

atarabout — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:06:58 +0000

Dalende reisbudgetten, dreigende gezondheidsredenen die reizen beperkt; een Plantronics onderzoek toont aan dat verkopers vertrouwelijker worden met hun klanten als zij een headset gebruiken voor telefoongesprekken

Hoofddorp, 18 mei 2009 — Headsets zorgen voor een betere klantervaring dan telefoon handsets. Dit blijkt uit een vandaag gepubliceerd marktonderzoek van Opinion Matters/Tickbox.net [1], in opdracht van Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT). Het marktonderzoek laat zien hoe headsets de ervaring tussen verkopers en hun klanten meer gestalte geven. Door de economische situatie en afnemende reisbudgetten worden bedrijven meer afhankelijk van verkooppersoneel dat via de telefoon waardevolle klantrelaties moet bevorderen en handhaven.

Uit de onderzoeksresultaten komt duidelijk naar voren dat het gebruik van een headset een bepalende factor is bij een aangename en oprechte klantervaring, zowel voor de klant als de verkoper. Het online onderzoek is uitgevoerd onder duizenden vertegenwoordigers (geen contactcentermedewerkers) en klanten in Nederland, het Verenigd Koninkrijk, Duitsland, Frankrijk en Spanje. In alle regio’s geven beide groepen de voorkeur aan het gebruik van een headset gedurende telefoongesprekken. Tevens vinden zij dat het gebruik van een headset zorgt voor een positieve ervaring.

Volgens het onderzoek voelt een overweldigende meerderheid van de ondervraagde respondenten zich beter in staat problemen op te lossen door het gebruik van een headset in vergelijking tot telefoneren met een handset. Bovendien zijn de verkopers van mening dat het gebruik van een headset leidt tot betere resultaten voor hun klanten. De headsets worden gezien als een essentiëlere hulpmiddel dan een Blackberry.

Bovendien gelooft een meerderheid van de klanten dat hun ervaring als klant verbetert als professionals een headset gebruiken. Verder blijkt uit het onderzoek dat klanten zich meer verbonden voelen tot een verkoper als hij een headset gebruik en vinden zij zijn communicatievaardigheden effectiever.

‘Wij geloven dat dankzij headsets efficiënter en effectiever gecommuniceerd kan worden’, zegt Philip Vanhoutte, Managing Director bij Plantronics EMEA. ‘Wij zijn verrast over de resultaten en zijn van mening dat verkooporganisaties kunnen profiteren van het gebruik van headsets om de klantervaring te verbeteren. Dit geldt vooral in economisch slechte tijden als de reisbudgetten onder druk staan.’

Belangrijke uitkomsten van het onderzoek zijn:
- De twee belangrijkste redenen voor het gebruik van een headset zijn het efficiënter en slimmer werken en sneller toegang krijgen tot klantgegevens.
-Andere belangrijke beweegredenen voor het gebruik van headsets zijn het vermogen om de vertegenwoordiger en servicemedewerkers dichter bij de klanten te brengen en natuurlijker geluid te creëren tijdens het gesprek.
- Bijna alle respondenten denken dat hun baan moeilijker wordt en/of het geleverde serviceniveau zou afnemen als zij niet langer met een headset kunnen werken.
- Headsets worden, na de mobiele telefoon en software tools, genoemd als het meest belangrijke bedrijfshulpmiddel dat essentieel is om werk succesvol uit te voeren.
- Verkopers en servicemedewerkers voelen dat het gebruik van een headset zorgt voor effectievere communicatie en een sterkere klantrelatie.

Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net is een marktleidende onderzoeksorganisatie die online onderzoeken uitvoert in de corporate- en consumentenmarkt en in nichemarkten. Het panel bestaat uit ruim 50.000 deelnemers. Het Plantronics en Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net onderzoek is uitgevoerd tussen 3 en 12 februari 2009 onder een representatieve steekproef van personen die ouder waren dan 16 jaar in het Verenigd Koninkrijk, Frankrijk, Duitsland, Nederland en Spanje. Niemand van de onderzochte personen werkte in een contactcenter, waar het gebruik van headsets de norm is. Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net volgt de codes van de MRS (Market Research Society) en zijn geregistreerd bij de Data Protection Registrar.

[1] Het online onderzoek is uitgevoerd onder duizenden salesvertegenwoordigers (niet contactcentermedewerkers) en klanten Nederland, Verenigd Koninkrijk, Duitsland,Frankrijk en Spanje.

Umfrage: Headsets für erfolgreiche Verhandlungsgespräche ein Muss

atarabout — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:06:22 +0000

Plantronics-Untersuchung zeigt: Vertriebsmitarbeiter wirken auf Kunden authentischer und sympathischer, wenn sie Telefonat über Headset führen.

Hürth, 14.05..2009 – Die Senkung von Reisekosten gehört in vielen Unternehmen zu den Maßnahmen, den Zwängen der Finanzkrise entgegen zu wirken. Anstelle des persönlichen Kundengesprächs tritt zunehmend der telefonische Austausch. Ohne Blickkontakt müssen Beziehungen zu Kunden aufgebaut und wichtige Verhandlungen geführt werden. Umso mehr Bedeutung erlangen die technischen Hilfsmittel, die die Korrespondenz zwischen den Partnern erleichtern sollen. Das belegen auch die Ergebnisse einer Umfrage von Plantronics, die mit Mitarbeitern im Vertrieb sowie Kunden aus Deutschland, Großbritannien, Frankreich, den Niederlanden und Spanien durchgeführt wurde: Eine essentielle Rolle im Kundenkontakt spielt das Headset.

Die jetzt veröffentlichte Umfrage untersuchte die Kommunikation zwischen Vertriebsmitarbeitern und ihren Kunden. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass der Gebrauch von Headsets den Schlüssel zum Aufbau einer intensiven und erfolgreichen Beziehung zwischen Verkäufer und Kunde darstellt.

Laut Untersuchung kann eine deutliche Mehrheit der Mitarbeiter Fragen und Probleme am Telefon besser lösen und effizienter arbeiten, wenn sie im Gespräch an Stelle des Telefonhörers ein Headset nutzen. Da der Telefonierende beide Hände zur Verfügung hat, kann auf Kundendaten schneller zugegriffen werden, die Reaktionszeit auf Anliegen der Kunden verkürzt sich somit deutlich.

Gleichzeitig bewertete die Mehrheit der befragten Kunden die Gespräche mit Verkäufern, die beim Telefonieren ein Headset tragen, als positiv. Sie bewerteten das Auftreten des Gesprächspartners als überzeugender und authentischer, wenn dieser das Telefonat über ein Headset führt. Das ist unter anderem auf die Bewegungsfreiheit zurückzuführen, die vor allem ein schnurloses Headset ermöglicht. Telefonieren und sich gleichzeitig frei bewegen bzw. gestikulieren zu können, wirkt natürlicher und selbstsicherer.

Philip Vanhoutte, Managing Director bei Plantronics EMEA: „Der Einsatz eines schnurlosen Headsets kann die Arbeitsproduktivität um rund 23 Prozent steigern. Wenn diese Tatsache allen Arbeitgebern bewusst wäre, müsste kaum ein Angestellter noch zum klassischen Hörer greifen.“

Über die Untersuchung:
Die von Plantronics in Auftrag gegebene Umfrage wurde vom 03. bis 12. Februar 2009 mit einer national repräsentativen Auswahl von Erwachsenen in Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien, den Niederlanden und Spanien durchgeführt. Keine der befragten Personen arbeitet in Call Centern, in dem die Nutzung von Headsets Norm ist. Die Untersuchung wurde von Opinion Matters/Tickbox.net - ein führendes Marktforschungsunternehmen mit Spezialisierung auf Online-Befragungen - durchgeführt.

Plantronics Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.05 per Share

inolan — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:00:50 +0000

Santa Cruz, CA-May 5, 2009 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share. The dividend is payable on June 10, 2009 to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 20, 2009.

“We generated approximately $39 million in cash flow from operations in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 and nearly $100 million during the entire fiscal year. Our Board of Directors is pleased to continue to return a portion of our cash flow to stockholders directly in the form of a dividend,” said Ken Kannappan, President and Chief Executive Officer.

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, Plantronics has become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, 911 dispatch, and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of Sound Innovation® is the basis for every product we build for the office, contact center, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. The Plantronics family of brands includes Plantronics, Altec Lansing, Clarity, and Volume Logic. For more information, go to www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.