NEW PRODUCTS COMBINE INTELLIGENCE WITH ELEGANT AND INTUITIVE DESIGNS FOR THE BUSY OFFICE PROFESSIONAL

London, UK – 7th June 2011 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) today announced an expanded portfolio of simply smarter communications solutions designed to support today’s new ways of working and flexible working environments. The new offerings – the Savi® 700 series, Savi 440, Blackwire® 435, and CS500™ series – deliver intelligent technology with elegant design for office-based business professionals who interact with a mobile phone, softphone, and a desk phone, or need to switch between all three.

Delivering a host of benefits to the office professional by connecting to multiple devices and allowing workers to multi-task throughout the course of a phone call, this enables fluid communications, actions and increasing productivity. The intelligent wireless capabilities mean users can move away from their desks and around the office, without missing any calls. The new products create a more comfortable and healthy working environment as awkward and unnatural postures, often experienced whilst cradling a telephone handset between neck and shoulder, are eliminated.  The sleek and discreet wearing styles give a professional image to colleagues and clients, whether meetings are in-person or via webcam. Additionally, IT departments now have the ability to procure one device and achieve forward compatibility, ensuring increased efficiency and cost savings over time.

“In today’s business environment, work is not just a place; people are mobile both in and outside the office,” comments Richard Rogers, Plantronics’ Head of EMEA B2B Marketing. “The products we’re announcing today give mobile workers the same freedom, flexibility, and wearability that users of our leading Bluetooth® devices have enjoyed for years, with the added bonus that they integrate with the industry’s most popular Unified Communications platforms, enabling even stronger productivity gains.”  

In addition, Plantronics announced the latest release of its popular UC Toolkit – a set of online assets that help IT departments plan, adopt, deploy, and advance Unified Communications in their enterprises. The UC Toolkit is available for Avaya®, Cisco®, Microsoft®, and IBM® Unified Communications platforms.

PLANTRONICS’ NEW PRODUCT OFFERINGS

SAVI 700 SERIES
The Savi 700 series is a headset system that allows the office professional to manage calls coming in from a PC, desk phone, or mobile phone; seamlessly switching between all three as required. It features the lightest wireless DECT™ headset on the market, provides the user with a generous 120 metres roaming range, and auto-answers when the headset is picked up from the cradle. A hot swappable battery allows unlimited talk time, the noise-cancelling microphone ensures crisp communication and three headset wearing styles: over the ear, over the head, and behind the neck give users have a variety of options.

SAVI 440
The Savi 440 is a USB wireless headset system that can manage PC calls up to 120 metres away. Mirroring the Savi 700 series, the Savi 440 also features the market’s lightest wireless DECT headset, and an included dongle allows for call connectivity through a PC anywhere there’s an Internet connection. Additionally, a hot swappable battery gives users unlimited talk time capability.

BLACKWIRE 435
The Blackwire 435 is a USB corded headset featuring a sleek and portable design that makes it extremely discreet and web-cam friendly. It also easily converts from a mono to stereo wearing-style for maximum flexibility and convenience and can be worn either over the ear or behind the neck.

CS500 SERIES
The CS500 is a wireless headset system for desktop telephones. Featuring an updated design and the lightest wireless DECT headset on the market, the CS500 system allows users to roam and talk up to 120 metres away from the base unit; convertible wearing styles ensure optimal comfort.

THE UC TOOLKIT
This online resource of best practices documentation houses FAQs, whitepapers, training materials, survey templates, wireless assessments, and more, making it easy for IT managers to test their UC assumptions. The UC Toolkit can be accessed at www.plantronics.com/UCToolkit.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

- Savi 700 series is priced from £261 to £289 ex VAT, depending on headset wearing style and is available in June 2011.
- Savi 440 is £199 ex VAT and available in May 2011.
- Blackwire 435 is £79 ex VAT and available in July 2011.
- CS500 series is available from September 2011. Pricing details will be announced closer to the general availability of the product.