TechCrunch » plantronics

Review: Plantronics Voyager PRO UC Bluetooth headset

Matt Burns — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:45:29 +0000

There’s a small market for Bluetooth headsets that come with auto-pairing dongles. Some peeps need a quick and reliable way to use software like Microsoft Office Communicator and Skype and so I tested out the Jabra GO 6430 a few weeks back. While I found the audio superb, it didn’t fit right in my ear.

Plantronics heard my cry and sent me the Voyager PRO UC. This boy is comfy.

Features

Ships with auto-paired receiver
UC standard version on-touch call control
Three layer wind shield
Dual noise-canceling mics
$199 MSRP

Pros

The epitome of comfort
Great sound quality

Cons

Looks silly with behind-the-ear battery pack

Review

I have a confession. I have never used a Plantronics’ headset. I always thought the behind-the-ear battery pack looked goofy and wouldn’t work with my glasses. I was partly wrong. It looks totally goofy, but I’m down with it because it’s so damn comfortable.

My glasses do not affect the battery pack at all. But I’m sure many of you already know that. This style has been out for years so it must work.

But what surprised me the most was how it feels. The headset doesn’t fit into your ear canal at all, rather rests on the outside with springy silicon tips. The design works perfectly and doesn’t cause any of the irritaitions I had with Jabra’s pro VoIP headest.

Thankfully the Plantronics is just as good in the audio department as it is with comfort. I wouldn’t say it’s better than the Jabra, but that’s just fine as I found the Jabra headset to feature great clarity.

It works the same way, too. It can either be paired manually to a computer or mobile, or computers can take advantage of the auto-paired USB receiver that takes care of the pair with just a touch of a button. Easy.

This headset wins in both audio clarity and comfort, but drops the ball a bit with the style. That’s fine with me. The former two traits are the most important anyway. It’s not like you’re supposed to wear these things while shopping for shoes at the mall. Right? I hope so.

Product page

New Plantronics Explorer 395 bluetooth headset cheap, cheerful

Contributor — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 05:00:59 +0000

Plantronics announced the latest addition to their product line, the Explorer 395. Designed to be an entry level headset, the Explorer 395 is based off of Plantronics standard design for ease of use and compatibility, but still has the sound quality you’d expect.

Despite the fact that this is a less expensive model for Plantronics, they still included some premium features. You’ll still get DSP (for reduced wind noise) and Plantronics classic design. MRSP is $49.95, and the Explorer 395 is currently available from the Plantronics website or from Best Buy until June. After that you’ll be able to pick it up at Amazon, or at Wal-Mart or Apple stores.

From the press release:

SANTA CRUZ, CA – April 20, 2010 – Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), the world leader in personal audio communications for nearly 50 years, today announced the new Plantronics Explorer(R) 395 Bluetooth(R) headset. Perfect for first-time Bluetooth users, the Explorer 395 is an extremely easy- to-use headset that features a compact, classic design and high-quality audio performance at an affordable price.

“Consumers buying their first Bluetooth headset are most concerned with usability. Product set up and basic operations, such as placing and receiving phone calls, must be intuitive,” said Jeff Ducote, category director for Bluetooth products at Plantronics. “The Explorer 395 achieves this and goes a step further by combining simplicity with great audio quality, reliability and attractive styling.”

Ease of Use and High-Quality Audio Performance

The Plantronics Explorer 395 delivers ease of use through dedicated buttons for volume, power on/off and call answer/end, which eliminate the confusion caused by a single, multi-use button. In addition, the Explorer 395 is universally compatible and includes Plantronics’ QuickPair(TM) technology for fast and easy setup with any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

The Plantronics Explorer 395 features precision microphone placement and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology to reduce noise, echo and wind distortion, ensuring the user’s voice is heard clearly and sounds natural. The DSP technology also improves inbound audio so every word is heard on both sides of the conversation.

At only 11 grams, the Plantronics Explorer 395 headset is lightweight and discreet. It includes a contoured ear tip and ergonomically designed swivel earloop to provide a comfortable, stable fit. The Explorer 395 features premium design accents, including an elegant chrome finish, and is offered in black/silver and bronze/silver colors.

Users will spend less time hassling with chargers thanks to the Plantronics Explorer 395’s long-lasting battery, which provides up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 7 days of standby time. The Explorer 395’s designated slide on/off switch enables users to further preserve battery life between calls, and conveniently auto-connects once power is restored.

CrunchGear's "Clean Out My Office" Contest

John Biggs — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:17:57 +0000

This week I’ll be running a “clean out my office” involving a whole bunch of stuff I can’t get rid of and is too valuable to potentially throw away. Today’s special treat? Lots of Plantronics Voice-Music-Gaming headsets with USB thinger for listening to stuff over USB and using Skype. I think I have like nine.

How do you win? Follow me and CrunchGear on Twitter or, if you’re not socially inclined, comment here and I’ll pick you randomly. I’ll give out three to commenters and six to Tweeples who re-Twoot something I post to the CG feed and my feed. I’ll have different contests during the week, so fear not.

Quick Look: Plantronics Discovery 975

John Biggs — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:19:57 +0000

I don’t use many Bluetooth headsets – I rarely drive – but I found the Discover 975 to be a welcome addition to the headset pantheon. Unlike larger – or, dare I say, smaller – headsets the D975 seems just the right size for easy insertion and removal and it is unobtrusive enough to avoid the dreaded Bluetooth Douchebag Syndrome (BDS), a disease that slowly affects the human male causing them to purchase a Motorola headset with a blinking light and wear it all the damn time and cause them to, in no particular order: purchase those stickers showing a nuclear family with two parents and X kids for their Hummer, wear golf shirts, and talk loudly about how they’re getting “brews” at CostCo.

That said, the 975 is manly enough for those who occasionally need a quick Bluetooth fix and the case with built-in battery encourages storage when not in use. With the charging case you will get about 35 hours of talk time. Without it you’ll get about five.

As I said before, I won’t be testing this but I’d like to send it to a citizen reviewer. Tell me how you will avoid BDS in comments and I will send you this to write about. Sound good? Sound off!

CrunchDeals: Fancy Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset for $43

Contributor — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:47:36 +0000

Finally, a Bluetooth headset for men and women of more discerning taste. The Plantronics Discovery 925 is a “fashionable alchemy gold and silver Bluetooth earpiece with distinctive VFrame design.” Selling elsewhere for $80 and up (Target sells it for $130!), regular nimrods like you and me can get it for $43 today.

It’s also available in “cerise,” which is a fancy way of saying pinkish-purple. That oughta be a nice color for fancy ladies. From a technical aspect, you get five hours of talk time, background noise reduction, and the ability to connect to two Bluetooth phones at once. Because, you know, fancy people have at least two phones.

Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece [Amazon]

Plantronics laying off 18% of employees, now!

Matt Burns — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:37:09 +0000

Effective immediately, 900 jobs have been cut at Plantronics. That means 19% of employees don’t have to go home but they can’t stay at their cubes. Bluetooth headsets are to blame. It seems that the company fell way short of sales expectations in that category and then there is the whole worldwide money slump we seem to be in. Plus, the Plantronics’ bloggers lounge CES ’09 must have cost ‘em a penny or two. After all, there was two couches and a couple of folding chairs. Next year, it’s probably just going to be the folding chairs if they sponsor the area though.

Free Bluetooth headset if you get a ticket for not using a one

Matt Burns — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:05:24 +0000

Well, this is awful nice of Headsets.com. If you happen to earn a ticket for talking on your cell phone while driving, the site will give you a free Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset. All you have to do is fill out a form and in the name of safety, they you the headset. The small print reads as the offer is only valid for the first 734 claims so get out there and starting breaking the law!

via GadgetReview

Plantronics Announces Late-Summer Earware

Contributor — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:06:01 +0000

Plantronics has two, count ‘em, two new headsets — one cancels noise out, the other keeps noise in.

The Voyager 520 is a noise-canceling Bluetooth headset “featuring robust noise-canceling technology for business-quality performance”.

It’ll set you back $99.99, available in August.

For the less-mobile (but still pretty mobile), there’s the sound-isolating .Audio 480 Virtual Phone Booth headset “for laptop multimedia and Internet conversations.” It’s the smallest computer headset that Plantronics has pushed out yet.

Analog version available for $89.95, USB for $109.95 — also available in August.

I have a Gamecom Pro1 headset from Plantronics and it’s real, real nice. Good stuff outta Santa Cruz, California.

Plantronics Delivers Superior Sound and Noise-Cancellation with New Voyager Bluetooth Headset

Plantronics Launches the .Audio 480 Virtual Phone Booth Headset

Plantronics Pulsar 260

John Biggs — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:14:00 +0000

I don’t usually get excited about headsets, but the Plantronics Pulsar series has produced a few strong stereo headsets and the 260 is the latest of the bunch. The headset comes with noise-isolating earbuds and a tiny little Bluetooth dongle with microphone.

The headset will sell form $109.95 and includes inline answer buttons and fast forward/rewind buttons right on the unit. It also has an audio-out adapter for stereos and speakers, so you can stream your tunage to almost anything.

Product Page