Plantronics Expands Stereo Bluetooth Headset Portfolio

ORLANDO, Fla. - Plantronics (NYSE:PLT) has announced the U.S. introduction of the Pulsar® 260 Stereo Bluetooth® Headset, a unique Bluetooth pendant-style headset designed to support high quality, wireless stereo sound and manage mobile phone calls with the touch of a button. The Pulsar 260 will debut at CTIA Wireless 2007 and expands Plantronics’ growing family of stereo Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones, which also includes the award-winning Pulsar 590 series.

The Pulsar 260 enables users with Bluetooth mobile phones featuring the (A2DP) Advanced Audio Distribution Profile to wirelessly listen to stereo music and answer/end calls without the need for an adapter or picking up the phone.

The market for music enabled mobile phones is growing rapidly. According to Strategy Analytics, 69 percent of mobile phones will feature music capabilities by 2009 – up from 27 percent in 2006. Mobile phones featuring the A2DP stereo profile are expected to reach 37 percent - up from only four percent in 2006.

“As consumers become increasingly familiar with portable multimedia content —music, video games and videos — digital stereo listening is becoming a primary purchase driver for mobile phones,” said Renee Niemi, general manager and vice president of Mobile and Entertainment at Plantronics. “Media enabled handsets are expected to significantly outsell standalone portable music players in the near future – a trend that Plantronics expects to become a catalyst for high quality, audio-plus-voice headset accessories.”

Featuring a discreet, lightweight pendant-plus-earphones design, the Pulsar 260 allows users to wirelessly switch back and forth between conversations and streaming music up to 33 feet away from a Bluetooth device. The intuitive central control panel allows users to wirelessly navigate through track selections and guide volume without ever touching the phone.

The featherweight control pendant clips easily to pockets, lapels or shoulder straps – offering total portability and freedom of movement. The Pulsar 260’s noise-isolating, remarkably secure earbuds guarantee a fully immersive stereo audio experience. The cabled microphone ensures clear, crisp calls. Plantronics in-ear headphones with contoured, soft silicone gel tips are meticulously engineered to remain comfortable over time, even during long listening sessions.

“As technologies converge and more mobile phones are used as multimedia devices, it is increasingly important that stereo headsets offer not only superb sound quality but voice functionality,” added Niemi. “The Pulsar 260 adds a new dimension to stereo Bluetooth choice by offering a new wearing style and addressing the needs of today’s consumer.”

Plantronics Pulsar 260 features include compatibility with mobile phones featuring the A2DP Bluetooth profile, high-fidelity stereo sound and superior audio performance, freedom to roam up to 33 feet from a Bluetooth device, battery which allows for up to nine hours of talking time and seven hours of listening time, inline microphone with call answer end button and support for the Audio Visual Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) to allow customers to remotely control functions such as mute, volume level or track forward/back.