Plantronics ups ante on communications in all environments

Source: Plantronics. The Voyager 5200.

Plantronics, an audio and wearable technology specialist, has announced two new communications devices developed for those who are constantly on-the-go and need to sound professional in all situations: the Voyager 5200 and Voyager 5200 UC.

The Bluetooth devices feature WindSmart technology, an exclusive Plantronics innovation, which ensures extraordinary wind and noise reduction. "Today's mobile professionals face the unique challenge of staying connected while still communicating clearly and confidently from extremely challenging call environments, including crowds, traffic, coffee shops, and one of the most notorious of difficult call scenarios, a windy day," said Jan Caldarella, Senior Category Director of consumer solutions with Plantronics.

"Offering an all-new approach to eliminating wind and background noise, Voyager 5200 lets you confidently focus on what you're saying rather than where you are, while delivering the comfort,
intelligence, multi-device connectivity, and ease-of-use that are the hallmarks of our Voyager line of professional communication headsets."

Plantronics WindSmart technology provides wind and noise reduction by incorporating six layers of technology to combat the entire noise ecosystem. The aerodynamic boom on the Voyager 5200 lets wind slide past without creating turbulence. The boom's windscreen acts as the first layer of protection for the mics, and then each mic is further sheltered in a 'wind box'. Four omnidirectional mics and a proprietary wind-cancelling algorithm keep the mics focused on the wearer's voice and remove disruptive noise.

All-day comfort and battery life were also top-of-mind when developing the Voyager 5200. Designed for stability and comfort on a wide range of ear shapes and sizes, it will fit 90% of people1. Up to seven hours of talk on a single charge and up to nine days in standby mode ensures the headset is always ready for use.

A protective charging case2 serves as both a handy, grab-and-go dock for recharging the headset, and provides up to an additional 14 hours of talk time on the go.

Voyager 5200 UC includes a charging case and the BT600 Class 1 USB Bluetooth adapter.

Additional benefits include:

* Easy-access, multifunction button lets you mute a call with a single touch, and allows for quick access to Siri and other smartphone Virtual Personal Assistants when the headset is idle.

* Extended Class 1 Bluetooth range lets users control up to two connected smartphones or tablets from up to 30m away.

* Responsive smart sensor technology intuitively routes call audio to your phone or headset, pauses media or rejects an incoming call when removed, and automatically answers calls as you place the headset on your ear.

* A spill- and splashproof exclusive P2i nano-coating means that conversations can continue through a light rain.

* Voice commands and audio alerts let you use your voice to answer or ignore calls, and whispered alerts give you the name of incoming callers, update you on battery level, connection status, and more. Activate voice control for smartphone assistants such as Siri with a touch of a button.

* The Plantronics Hub smartphone app for iOS and Android enables customised control of the Voyager 5200 headset from the phone. Adjust settings such as Caller ID and Mute Alert, activate Find MyHeadset to locate a misplaced headset, and manage sensor options, voice alert language and more. Business customers can also use Plantronics Manager Pro with Voyager 5200 UC to
manage settings and perform remote troubleshooting when connected through the BT600 USB connector.

Interested?

Both devices will be available worldwide by July 2016.

Voyager 5200 will be available at authorised Plantronics retailers for MSRP S$199. The optional Voyager 5200 charge case has a MSRP S$69. The Voyager 5200 UC will retail for MSRP S$339.

Explore retail outlets in Asia

posted from Bloggeroid

Plantronics releases Voyager Focus UC Bluetooth headset with active noise cancellation

Source: Plantronics.

Plantronics, a global player in audio communications, has unveiled the Voyager Focus UC, which it says is the industry's first wireless Bluetooth stereo headset with active-noise cancellation (ANC) technology. 

A premium product for unified communications (UC) and multimedia applications, Voyager Focus UC was designed for enterprise workers in an open office or simply to reduce distraction. The headset provides all-day comfort and includes smart sensor technology, audio alerts, and wideband audio and hi-fi stereo sound. 

"No one can dispute the positive impact a great audio experience has on effective communications and collaboration," said Rich Costello, Senior Research Analyst, IDC. "But audio experiences are increasingly being challenged, especially as traditional office environments expand to include workers in more remote and non-traditional, open-office environments that introduce more external noise factors." 

The Voyager Focus UC headsets feature an immersive on-the-ear design to reduce high frequency noises like office sounds and background voices. Low frequency sounds, like noise from air conditioners, is reduced through ANC. In order to reduce the noise that is transmitted and overheard by others, three precisely-tuned microphones and noise-cancelling algorithms reduce noise caused by keyboard clatter, close-talkers, and movement, while optimising voice intelligibility. 

"We tried to think of every collaboration challenge and built a solution that solves for them. We created a premium design that will convey confidence and competence during a video call. We've used sensors and context to adapt the user experience to the wearing style and state so it just works as expected," said Bill Loewenthal, VP, enterprise solutions management, Plantronics. 

"But our real innovation is in the audio performance. We adapted our best-of-breed microphone technology with improved algorithms to ensure clarity of the user's voice, while suppressing background noises and tuning the audio listening profile to ensure that your favorite playlist sounds dynamic and impressive." 

Highlights include: 

• Class 1 Bluetooth with adaptive power to deliver up to 45m of wireless range while preserving battery life. 
• Dynamic Mute Alert technology - an industry first - senses speech and then alerts that the mute function is still active. Additionally, the headset will automatically mute when a user takes it off and unmute when it's put back on. 
• Leatherette ear cushions wrapped around pillow-soft memory foam deliver all-day comfort, while a cushioned metal headband provides durability and helps maintain a comfortable, secure fit. 
• On-board sensors create an intuitive user experience. Examples include answering a call by simply putting the headset on and pausing mobile audio when the headset is taken off, restarting it when replaced. 
• Rigorous testing of the Voyager Focus UC with the predominant collaboration solutions from Microsoft, Cisco, Avaya, and Huawei ensures the best possible experience when using these applications. 

Interested?

The Voyager Focus UC will be available in Singapore with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of S$499. Check retail locations in Asia

StarHub launches SmartUC service for Singapore businesses, powered by Avaya

Avaya, a customer and team engagement solutions provider, and StarHub, an integrated infocommunications company in Singapore, have launched a business communications service, SmartUC, for businesses in Singapore. 

The benefits are fourfold: SmartUC can help businesses become more productive, deliver a first class experience for their customers, differentiate their products and services, and expand.

“The expectations of business users and customers have rapidly evolved in recent years, and that change will only accelerate. We now expect mobility and apps and social and cloud. We expect video and chat and flexibility and ease of use. We expect the world at our click,” observed Pamela Tham, Singapore Country Leader, Avaya.

Providing a suite of unified communications capabilities, SmartUC will be delivered in two different offerings – a Standard option for small businesses with fewer than 50 users, and a Premium option for companies with over 50 users, allowing for seamless business growth and flexibility. The SmartUC Premium option includes all the capabilities of the Standard version, plus support for Android, IOS, Windows and Mac devices, contact centre self-service and multimedia capabilities.

"With SmartUC, we bring about a cost-effective value proposition to help Singapore companies to operate more efficiently, while maintaining the fine balance to scale and grow more competitively. Through this innovative approach, we aim to partner our enterprise customers to deliver outstanding service to their businesses,” said Sebastian Tan, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, Services and Delivery, StarHub.

For small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in particular, a cost effective and high-performance technology solution can help to deliver quicker decision making and better business results. The SmartUC solution ticks all the boxes to help Singapore businesses grow and deliver exceptional service:

· Simple to use and easy to tailor; can be deploy with managed service support

· Monthly subscription offering without the hefty upfront IT expenses or costly feature upgrades associated with traditional corporate phone systems

· Supports a handful of users all the way to 2,500 users

· Integrates easily with existing solutions

· Can work at the workplace, or in the cloud 

SmartUC is based on the Avaya IP Office platform, a solution for SMBs with over 480,000 midmarket systems installed around the world. IP Office helps connect businesses with their customers using the methods those customers prefer - including voice, SMS, web chat, video, email, or fax. IP Office also helps people work from anywhere.

Educate and incentivise employees to ensure UC success: Jabra

Jabra, a manufacturer of intelligent audio solutions, has called on the industry to take greater responsibility to redefine the global success of unified communications (UC) deployments. 

Source: Jabra website.

Currently, UC adoption rates are at just 10% due to employee hesitancy to give up their current working patterns and tools. And whilst companies are spending thousands implementing new technologies, employees are still failing to understand how UC can benefit their productivity and efficiency levels on a daily basis.

Jabra believes that education and incentives are crucial but having a companywide adoption plan, with considered input and expertise from key functions of the business, will be the key to a successful implementation and ensure that organisations are seeing actual return on their investment quickly.

A new Jabra business brief published today on UC understanding and adoption says that UC vendors must work with their customers to help end-users understand and embrace the transition. Jabra believes that the key to driving up the successful adoption rates will be creating a planning and implementation team that involves company experts from multiple areas of the business including IT, marketing, corporate communications and human resources. By bringing representatives of these functional areas into the project from the beginning, soliciting their input and expertise throughout rollout and ensuring their support, businesses are more likely to see successful adoption, companywide.

Mark Leigh, ‎President, Asia Pacific at Jabra, commented around the findings within this recent business brief: “It’s our job as IT professionals to redefine success as that time when UC technologies are actively enabling new and better ways of communication, collaboration, conversation and concentration - and not just whether the deployment was launched on time or within budget.”

He continued: “UC is a key enabler in connecting today’s modern knowledge economies. At the same time, these new tools require entirely new behaviours. And, as it has always been the case when introducing new technologies, we need to find ways to ensure that end-users adopt these new tools on their own terms. No matter how beneficial your new technology may be, not everyone will share your passion for it. To generate acceptance you need demonstrate how it benefits people personally and gently steer them toward embracing it.”

In the present-day world of technology, UC deployment plans and associated tactics are starting to focus on changing end-user behaviours by incorporating new theories and methods from the world of behavioural economics to similarly overcome employee resistance to change. This usually involves using indirect suggestions and positive reinforcement to influence choices, instead of the traditional model of mandating behavior.

Jabra is working with its customers to provide real-life examples of some of these new methods, including creating competitions between workers to use UC; building online communities to share experiences, ask questions and get advice; and recognising and rewarding workers or departments for embracing new UC technologies.

Interested?

Learn more at Jabra’s New Way of Working page. 

Jabra launches Stealth UC Bluetooth mono headset

Jabra, a manufacturer of intelligent audio solutions, has launched the Jabra Stealth UC Bluetooth mono headset, a unified communication (UC) evolution of its original Jabra Stealth, to support mobile workers.

As the lightest headset in its class at 0.24 ounces (about 6.8 g), the Jabra Stealth UC is both discreet and extremely portable. The headset has Skype for Business certification, and is designed for everyday use with a smartphone, tablets or laptop by inserting the pre-connected USB dongle.

“We strive to help the mobile worker gain the full benefits from both their mobile devices and UC solutions. It is our experience that one of the most important factors for users embracing unified communication is the headset, which bridges the gap between the user and the promise of increased efficiency and flexibility. The Jabra Stealth UC is the perfect device to provide this bridge and allows the user to stay in their conversation zone all day - everywhere.” says Mark Leigh, President, Asia Pacific, CC&O of Jabra.

“Jabra is excited about the announcement of Skype for Business as it aligns with Jabra’s New Ways of Working Vision which advocates using Jabra technology to improve collaboration and productivity. With the transition from Microsoft Lync to Skype for Business, Jabra is also pleased to announce that our entire portfolio of audio devices are certified Skype for Business and set to support the collaboration needs of our joint customers and partners,” said Leigh.

“We are pleased to see Jabra deliver Jabra Stealth UC/Microsoft solutions for Skype for Business to extend the communications experience and connect people everywhere to achieve more, together," said Giovanni Mezgec, GM, Skype for Business Product Marketing at Microsoft. 

The headset is available through authorised Jabra Business Solutions partners. Key features include:

· Bluetooth Class 4.0 provides up to 100 feet (about 30.5m) wireless range

· Dual Noise Blackout 3.0 noise-cancelling microphones to block off ambient background noise and HD Voice for crystal clear sound at both ends of the call

· Up to six hours talk-time

· Custom fit for optimal all-day comfort - changeable ultimate comfort ear gels and ear-hooks in small and large sizes

· Intelligent volume control automatically adapts to the sound environment and adjusts the sound in the speaker throughout your conversation.

· Near field communications (NFC) for easy pairing

· Voice control button to allow for remote activation of Siri, Google Now and Microsoft Cortana

· Available in UC and Microsoft Skype for Business certified variants

Plantronics launches new audio devices for communications, collaboration

Plantronics has announced new unified communications (UC) audio devices designed to deliver audio quality and noise management technology to help people effectively communicate and collaborate, regardless of workplace or location. 

Source: Plantronics. The
Blackwire 725.

"Everywhere is the new workplace. We know office noise is increasingly becoming a concern due to more open working environments that promote collaboration, but workplace noise isn't just a problem for those in the office," said Bill Loewenthal, VP, enterprise product solutions, Plantronics. 

"You can't always control your environment and you certainly can't control your caller's environment, so we help ensure workers have solutions they need to block out the noise, allowing them to have a high-quality communication experience wherever their workplace is." 

"There's been increasing emphasis on the importance of a reliable, high-quality, seamless user experience when communicating and collaborating today, and rightly so," said Rich Costello, Senior Research Analyst, unified communications, IDC. "The new Plantronics offerings not only address these important requirements, but also the surrounding noise factor on both sides of the call." 

Source: Plantronics. The Calisto
610.

The shift to open office environments and hot desks creates new noise challenges for individuals and their colleagues which can often undermine productivity gains. 

The following solutions address the inherent ambient noise challenges and potential audio quality concerns associated with today's smarter working scenarios and environments: 

The Blackwire 725 is the company's first UC stereo headset with active noise cancelling. It combines wideband audio, digital signal processing and a noise cancelling microphone in a corded option that is ideal for managing PC calls and listening to multimedia.

Source: Plantronics. The
Voyager UC
Bluetooth headset.

The Voyager Edge UC is a new addition to the Voyager family of Bluetooth headsets and comes with its own portable charging case. It boasts signature Plantronics audio technology that eliminates background noise and automatically answers calls once it is placed on the ear. The solution includes a small Bluetooth USB dongle that provides seamless wideband audio to a laptop. 

Source :Plantronics. The
Clarity 340.

The Calisto 610 is a corded portable speakerphone for instant anywhere conferencing. The USB speakerphone allows users to create on-the-go conference calls for small groups of people. It enables workers to hear remote participants with high-quality, omni-directional audio, in an easy-to-carry form factor that integrates easily with a softphone of their choice, all at the price of a basic speakerphone. A carrying case is included. 

The Clarity 340 is designed for those who face vision, hearing, or dexterity challenges. The handset-style phone features amplified sound, an easy-to-read screen, large buttons for dialing, and crisp audio. 

All four products are available in March from authorised Plantronics distributors. Manufacturer's suggested retail prices are US$179.95 for the Blackwire 725; US$199.95 for the Voyager Edge UC; US$99.95 for the Calisto 610, and for the Clarity 340, US$149.95. 

Have laptop, Internet and headset, will travel

Jabra, a company which provides headsets, headphones, speakers and speakerphones, notes that employees working anywhere and anytime will be the norm in 2015.

According to Mark Leigh, President, Asia Pacific, Jabra, 35% of the workers today are mobile and this percentage is expected to shoot up to 75% by 2017. "The traditional office has been replaced with a laptop, Internet connection and headset, enabling the employee to work wherever they can get online," he said.

This technology has enabled employees to work easily whether they are on business travel or even make a lifestyle choice to be based in a different geographical location. "Employers have to provide a more flexible work environment for employees so they can be productive no matter what zone they’re in," Leigh said.

Even if the employee does not travel and goes to the office every day, globalisation has meant that workers may have conference calls at any time of the day, including taking calls from home. "By ensuring that the last 3 feet of communication is of top quality, knowledge workers can be assured that they can take their office anywhere they go," he added.

Tata Communications refreshes jamvee unified communications platform

Tata Communications, which provides A New World of Communications, released the latest version of its cloud-based jamvee unified communications (UC) platform last month. 

Source: Jamvee website.

Built on Tata Communications’ global tier 1 network, jamvee brings together any client software and device on a single platform - providing an agnostic, secure, unified communications service. This enables easier intra and inter-company collaboration as employees, suppliers and customers can now get together via any combination of audio, video or messaging and share content in groups - across any device or through a browser.

Jamvee supports instant messaging and presence federation via SIP and XMPP that is fully compatible with the leading enterprise clients. With a subscription to jamvee, organisations gain access to a federated jamvee meeting room for internal and external business-to-business meetings. This greatly expands collaboration opportunities, while simplifying administration and security. As it is delivered and hosted by Tata Communications, it provides the security, quality and reach that only a global tier 1 network can offer.

In addition to traditional video conferencing or telepresence, participants joining virtual jamvee meetings from their enterprise clients can leverage jamvee’s full audio, video, chat and content sharing capabilities. Jamvee also supports participants joining a conference through their browsers with a quick plug-in solution for non WebRTC-native browsers, and there are apps available for Android and iOS. 

Source: Android Play Store.

John Hayduk, President and CTO, Tata Communications, said: "Delivering the ability to collaborate easily both internally and externally with customers and partners enables productivity improvements for businesses. Interoperability is key to this, and jamvee takes this to the next level. By providing an open and fully customisable foundation for future unified communications to be added, companies can realise the full growth potential of unified communications quicker and easier than ever – unified communications on your terms”.
Bill Haskins, Senior Analyst and Partner at Wainhouse Research, said: “Our survey data shows that many IT decision makers are working to integrate UC-enabled desktops with existing room systems and increase the benefits of business-to-business federation – Tata Communications’ jamvee unified communications release is positioned to address these hot-buttons directly. By delivering this experience as a service and from within Tata Communications’ multi-carrier Global Meeting Exchange, customers can gain the advantage of turnkey provisioning and quality of service without the need for additional equipment or circuit installation.”

Tata Communications worked with technology partners including Acano and Synergy SKY to develop the new jamvee unified communications platform which now includes an always-on collaborative workspace where virtual teams can meet, share documents and show video in real-time. The jamvee rooms also act as permanent ‘war-rooms’ where users can be confident that their messages will always remain instantly available, safely secured within the platform.

OJ Winge, CEO, Acano, says, “Jamvee combines interoperability and ease of use with the scale and resilience of Tata Communications’ tier 1 network. Co-workers, suppliers and customers at organisations around the globe will benefit from the collaboration opportunities now possible with jamvee.”