Plantronics Wins Prestigious ‘Best of CES Innovations’ 2010 Design and Engineering Award
Industry Accolades Continue for Plantronics Savi Office, Plantronics Discovery 975, Plantronics Voyager PRO and BackBeat 903
Sydney, Australia – November 16, 2009 – Plantronics, Inc (NYSE: PLT) 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.
Plantronics also announced that three of its latest Bluetooth products have been named CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honourees in four competitive categories. The Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Earpiece was recognised in the Wireless Handsets Accessories and In-Vehicle Accessories categories, the Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset was recognised in the Wireless Handsets Accessories category and the BackBeat 903 Stereo Headphones 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 honour outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge products across 36 product categories.
“Plantronics prides itself on developing products that promise innovative audio technology combined with usability, comfort and style that exceed our customers’ expectations,” said Graeme Gherbaz, Managing Director, Plantronics Australia and New Zealand. “To have the Savi Office Wireless Headsets and three of our Bluetooth products honoured at the ‘Best of CES Innovations’ 2010 Design and Engineering Awards’ is a testament to our commitment to breaking new ground in Unified Communications and audio technologies. Winning these new awards will further enhance Plantronics’ leadership in our region.”
CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards
The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards have been recognising 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. The awards are also 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.
All of Plantronics’ Innovations award winning products will be on display during the 2010 International CES, January 7-10, at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase will feature winning products by product category in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Centre 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 honouree reflect innovative design and engineering of the entries. Examples may include first time various technologies that are combined in a single product or dramatic enhancements to previous product designs.
Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering honouree products are featured on www.CSweb.org/Innovations, which lists product categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer, description, photo and URL.
Plantronics’ CES Innovations Honouree products for 2009 include:
Plantronics Savi Office
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™ voice-dedicated frequency, providing users 100 meters 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.
Plantronics Voyager PRO
The Plantronics Voyager PRO headset provides the industry’s most advanced noise-cancelling 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 minimise 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 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.
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 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.
Please contact with your local Plantronics sales office to know those products’ local availability information. To learn more about Plantronics headsets, please visit: www.plantronics.com.au.