Plantronics Optimized for Microsoft Lync 2013 Portfolio Unveiled

By Rory Lidstone TMCnet Contributing Writer

Plantronics (News - Alert), a major player in audio communications for businesses and consumers, has unveiled a suite of products designed specifically to make communication with Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync easier in any environment. The Plantronics Optimized for Microsoft Lync 2013 portfolio, announced today at the Lync Conference in San Diego, features a number of devices ranging from Bluetooth headsets, to USB phones and speakerphones.

“Our portfolio of UC products provides great performance and, by tapping into the Plantronics SDK, devices like the Voyager Legend UC can also deliver important information about a person’s physical environment into applications like Lync,” said Bill Loewenthal, vice president of Enterprise Solutions at Plantronics, in a statement. “With our latest sensor-enabled wearable technology, users can look forward to boosting the power of a Lync environment through contextual intelligence.”

Indeed, the Lync 2013 portfolio includes the Voyager Legend UC headset and the Blackwire 700 series headsets, which can deliver contextual information — such as a person's proximity to their PC — to software via sensors.

The Voyager Legend UC is a CES (News - Alert) award winning USB Bluetooth headset system that can connect to PCs, tablets and smartphones. Its Smart Sensor technology enables users to answer a call just by putting the headset on, while a voice command button provides headset information like battery level and connection status. The Blackwire 700 series is a versatile USB corded headset that offers excellent audio quality and is capable of connecting to Bluetooth enabled devices for on-the-go use.

The Savi 700 and Savi 400 series, meanwhile, feature both DECT (News - Alert) and Bluetooth wireless technology. The former offers PC, mobile and desk phone connectivity while the former is for use only with PC communications.

In terms of speakerphones, the Lync 2013 portfolio features the Calisto 620, which offers multidevice connectivity for both PCs and mobile phones. Though portable, the Calisto 620 still offers good sound quality, while providing up to seven hours of talk time on a single charge.

Edited by Brooke Neuman