Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Plantronics has announced its new Bluetooth headset model, the Discovery 925 earpiece collection for both men and women. The Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece collection is a set of headsets which answer both design and performance needs of consumers today.

Released in unique palette of colors, Onxy Black, Alchemy Gold and Cerise Pink, the 925 earpiece was treated with glass beads and fire-blasted for a deep enamel-like finish. Plantronics must have forgotten that they were actually creating a Bluetooth headset and not a piece of fine jewelry when they created the Discovery 925 headsets. From the photos alone, the Discovery 925 headset definitely looks sleek and uber cool.

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Product: Plantronics Explorer 370 Bluetooth Headset
Price and Availability: $79.95, Retail availability beginning in March 2008.
Rating: 8/10
Pros: Good sound quality, very solid and rugged design.
Cons: Headset fit was slightly uncomfortable, which could have been more of a personal issue.
Overall: Overall a nice sounding, durable and easy to use headset.

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Plantronics has announced a new rugged “military grade” Bluetooth headset, the Explorer 370. While it’s really just another Bluetooth headset, the Explorer 370 has been tested and certified under MIL Spec 810, which means it is resistant to water, dust, and shock. Most readers will probably not put the “military grade” headset to its full limits but the 370 should be more than capable to stand up to heavy outdoor use without having to worry much about. In addition to being water, dust, and shock resistant the Explorer 370 also has a new “windscreen technology” to “ensure users experience clear calls no matter what the environment.”

The Explorer 370 also has the standard features to include volume controls, answer and end call controls, last-number redial and voice-activated dialing. It has a micro USB adapter for charging and offers up to seven hours of talk time and eights days on standby. The Explorer 370 Rugged will retail for $79.95 and hit the stores in March.

Keep an eye out for a full Gadgetell Review on the Explorer 370 shortly.

Read [Plantronics]

Plantronics has just announced their partnership with Quiksiver and Roxy for apparel with built-in Bluetooth for use with an MP3 player or cell phone.  We got a sneak peek at the lineup back at CES, but had to keep our mouths shut if you know what I mean. 

The products that were unveiled today are as follows: Quiksilver Double Daffy Snow Jacket ($370), Quiksilver Pulse Helmet ($249.95), Roxy Teen Angel Snow Jacket ($340), and the Roxy Shiver Helmet ($249.95).  All of these products are fitted with Plantronics’ stereo Bluetooth headphones and voice technology, for use on the slopes - or just in cold weather.  Pick them up at Quiksilver / Roxy stores, and other major retailers.

Press Release [Plantronics]

If you haven’t been following, we are in the middle of giving away tons of gadgets in celebration of our one year birthday and site redesign. We have already given away a sweet sounding iPod dock, a 1080p network media DVD player, an ultra zoom digital camera, and an super slim cellphone. For this week we are giving you four chances to win a set of Plantronics headsets. Complaints because we are going too big with this contest? (It is about 4 sets of $500 giveaways) Too bad, it’s Black Friday weekend!

What exactly can you win? How about:

• one Plantronics Pulsar 590 stereo headphones ($250)


• one Discovery 655 bluetooth headset ($150)


• and an Explorer 350 ($90) bluetooth headset for a friend

To enter: All you have to do is leave a comment, any comment. Extra points if you tell us a great Black Friday story or deal. This post will close Monday (the 27th), and then we will pick four winners at random, assuming you don’t cheat, as well as post a new giveaway!

The rules…

The Rules:

• You may only enter this contest one time


• You can only win once during the extent of the “v2 giveaway” contest, but can enter each one


• The winner will be sent a notice via email and has 72 hours to reply with their mailing address to claim their prize—make sure you use a valid email address
• You will be shipped your prize as soon as we get it into the mail, but don’t worry it’s coming

Good luck!

A while back we went to a Plantronics press event where they showed off a bunch of their new headsets. After the plush party we got some hands on time with the Discovery 655, meaning that we can bring you another peep show. The Plantronics Discovery 655 Bluetooth headset is their top of the line unit that offers a bunch of unique features and accessories. It has Digital Signal Processing (DSP), weighs only 9 grams, provides up to 10 hours of talk time, comes with an AAA charging pocket (boosting 10 more hours), a vibrating docking station, an USB charger attachment, 3 ear gel sizes, and an ear hook that is so unnecessary because the headset is already so comfortable. I feel that it is the best headset that i have ever used. There are no complaints from the ginny pigs on the other end of the line and I find it to be extremely comfortable. I do have some issues with the 3 buttons: the multifunction call/answer/switch calls button is very hard to press. It is going for $149.99.

Click on for more snap shots.

Plantronics held a savvy press event in New York last week. I was lucky enough to snag a ticket, drink some drinks, snap some pics, try on some new headsets, and got a few models back here in the lab for an upcoming Gadgetell review. Until then, enjoy these shots of the event and some commentary on the new headsets that will be hitting electronic and wireless stores in the near future.

In the end, all I have to say is that I had no idea that designing a headset was more than an art and some tech but a biological science--Plantronics has earned an A in my book.

The Plantronics Pulsar 590E Bluetooth Stereo Headset delivers stereo wireless freedom. Seamlessly switch between your phone conversations and your music so you’ll never miss a call. The cushioned earpieces provide comfort and the foldable headset design makes the headset portable. A retractable voice tube and omni-directional microphone allow for clearer calls. With up to 12 hours of talk time and 10 hours of listen time, you can enjoy hours of wireless listening on your stereo Bluetooth enabled mobile phone.

The Plantronics Discovery 655 Bluetooth headset is their top of the line unit that fuses technology with a sleek, ultra-light design. With Digital Signal Processing (DSP), the Plantronics Discovery 655 reduces noise levels to provide enhanced sound for clear conversations. It weighs only 9 grams, provides up to 10 hours of talk time, comes with an innovative AAA charging pocket (boosting 30 more hours), a vibrating docking station, an USB charger attachment, 3 ear gel sizes, and an ear hook that is so unnecessary because the headset is already so comfortable. It will sell for $149.99.

Based on the Plantronics Discovery 640 Bluetooth headset, the Discovery 640E lets you stay connected with great comfort and convenience and a similar charging system to the 655. With multipoint technology, you can seamlessly switch between two Bluetooth audio devices making moving from your home, to the car, to the office extremely easy. It will sell for $119.99.

The Plantronics Explorer 330 is a affordable, lightweight headset that offers Bluetooth technology for a hands-free ticket free driving experience. The Explorer 330 headset incorporates all call features—volume, answer/end call, last-number redial, and voice-activated dialing—into one button, like its predecessor. Delivering up to eight hours of talk time, the Explorer 330 will sell for $79.99.

The Plantronics Explorer 350 is almost identical to the 340 but comes with convenient in-car accessories for charging and stowing, the Explorer 350 lets you keep your headset handy and charged while you are on the go. and in one place so you don’t have to fuss around while you are driving.

We sometimes wonder how creative Griffin can get with their iPod accessory names. The BlueTrip is not the best name, as there really is no trip involved (as of yet), but the technology and functionality is stellar.

The BlueTrip comes with a dock and a Bluetooth dongle, reminiscent of the iTrip dongle. You plug the white transmitter into the bottom of your iPod and connect the receiver to your TV or stereo system via RCA cables, an optical cable, or the headphone out (1/8”) jack. Then you go through the simple pairing process, like when pairing a Bluetooth headset to a Bluetooth phone, and wahlah you are beaming CD quality tunes up to 30 feet, through walls, windows and more to your larger than life speaker system. This same transmitter plug also allows you to sync stereo Bluetooth headphone from Motorola, Plantronics, and others for wireless listening.

For $99.99, this may be the best accessory investment you make for your iPod. Keep posted for a full hands-on review of the BlueTrip.

Read [Griffin]

We’re not really sure why you would want/need a branded Palm bluetooth headset but obviously the Palm seems to think you do. This is the second headset the company has released with it’s logo on it. This time around it is a re-branded Plantronics 645 bluetooth headset. This model has limited talk time, has been known to slip out of your ear. On a good note it will save you $40 compared to it’s non-Palm branded brother, $169 compared to the Palm $129.

Read [Gizmodo]

This week, like many weeks, was headlined by two big Apple events, the release of the MacBook and their new store (also known as the glass cube) on 5th in NY as well as Sony’s release of the VAIO UX, a hybrid between a Sidekick and Origami. We also got PS3 Europe pricing, saw the release of Super Mario Bros. of the Nintendo DS, RIAA sued XM, MS released the Vista requirement specs, Sony Ericsson dropped four new phones, Yahoo pulled a redesign as did Flickr and went from Beta to Gamma, Sprint and Verizon announced pricing and support for the Palm 700p, and Plantronics supports VoIP. We also celebrated the 10th anniversary of AIM with the release of Phoneline and Blur-ray hit in an internal drive as well as the Sony AR laptop.

Lets not forget our first look at the desktop software Deskloops and our reviews of the Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition (100GB) and the DLO Transdock Micro FM Transmitter. And finally, we had our share of Motorola Q excitement.

Features

• Gadgetell First Look: Accoona searches ‘news’ and ‘business’


• The Water Cooler: BitTorrent and Warner Bros…huh?


• A rant about Optimum Online port 25


• How To Tuesday: Upload your videos to the great WWW


• Gadgetell First Look: Deskloops manages your open windows


• Gadgetell Review: Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition (100GB)


• Gadgetell Review: DLO Transdock Micro FM Transmitter

• Palm officially announces the Treo 700p


• The 2006 World Cup on your phone


• Show your inner child


• Motorola joins RED to help eliminate AIDS


• Sony takes the Origami route


• Skype now lets you call free


• scanR supports Treo 700p


• Moto wants you to “Find the Q”


• Motorola launches opensource.motorola.com


• PodZinger to power Rocketboom


• PSP like interface for the PS3


• TiVo - Blockbuster any day now


• Yahoo previews a refreshing redesign


• Sony VAIO UX Micro PC


• Sony VAIO AR brings Blu-ray to your lap


• 1 if by land 2 ifbyphone


• Goodbye iBook hello MacBook


• Google Notebook helps you organize what you find


• Apple bumps up the MacBook Pro specs and screen


• Nokia 770 tablet adds Google Talk


• AIM Phoneline celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Buddy List


• GameWatch opens fanboys’ eyes


• AOL to host and search video


• Flickr goes from beta to gamma


• Firefox 2.0 alpha 2 released


• Google product announcements rundown


• Plantronics Voyager 510-USB Bluetooth headset system


• Verizon announces Treo 700p pricing


• Viewsonic 20? LCD for $369


• Lenovo waterproof keyboard


• First HSDPA phone you can buy


• Protect your memories, back them up for your Lifetime


• Canon’s new IXUS 6 MP cameras


• Pepsi and Motorola offering more than 150 original ringtones


• PlayStation 3 rumors answered


• Samsung ‘Anyview’ media display


• Sky’s high-def box reviewed


• Toshiba Satellite M100


• Hitachi’s “Super-Pendicular” hard drive


• Timeless Radio - your personal recorder for the web


• Fuji Blu-ray disc available in June


• Push email solution for the 700p


• Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray disc writer with Roxio


• Sony Ericsson new handset roundup


• Panasonic releases DivX DVD-R devices


• Motorola Q exclusively on Verizon


• Warner to release two more HD-DVD titles


• Is your PC Vista ready?


• Photo’s of the 5th Ave Apple Store


• LG’s Bluetooth Speakerphone accessory


• Sony Ericsson Bluetooth 2.0 headsets


• PS3 to hit Europe at 499/599€ and £425


• Details on the RIAA vs. XM lawsuit


• Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. for the DS


• Bluetooth headsets for the X chromosome


• SanDisk USB drives get more secure


• Jeteye bookmarks and tags your web clippings


• Audio guides on your iPod, Meraviglioso!

• Sprint will offer the Palm Treo 700p at the “end of May”


• Sprint Nextel to announce their 4G plans soon