BackBeat PRO, BackBeat FIT, EncorePro 510/520, and EncorePro 540 Honored
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Mar 10, 2015, Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), a pioneer in audio and wearable technology, today announced that the BackBeat PRO, BackBeat FIT, EncorePro 510/520 and EncorePro 540 have won the prestigious International Forum (iF) Product Design Awards 2015 in the Audio/Video category. Plantronics products have previously been honored with iF design awards, including the Voyager Legend CS and RIG Gaming Audio System (2014), the Voyager PRO Bluetooth® headset (2010) and EncorePro headset (2009).
For more than 60 years, the iF design award has been recognized around the world as a label of design excellence. This year, the high-profile, international jury evaluated more than 5,000 entries from 53 countries in order to determine who would receive this coveted seal of excellence. Products were evaluated based on criteria including innovation, functionality, design quality, material, ergonomics and environmental compatibility.
“Functional, attractive, high-quality design is fundamental to developing products that integrate seamlessly into today’s modern lifestyles,” said Darrin Caddes, vice president of Corporate Design at Plantronics. “Being recognized by iF for the design of several of our products this year is a tremendous honor, and we will continue to integrate exceptional design with industry-leading performance audio and reliability in our communications solutions for businesses and consumers.”
The official iF Product Design Awards 2015 ceremony was held on February 27th in Munich. The award-winning products will also be featured in one of three subsequent special shows in the iF design exhibition in Hamburg, Germany.
The iF award for design is the latest award for the Plantronics BackBeat PRO and BackBeat FIT headsets since being introduced last year. BackBeat PRO and BackBeat FIT were also named 2015 CES Innovation Awards Honorees in the Headphones product category.
BackBeat PRO
BackBeat PRO is a wireless, active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphone with 24-hour battery life and the power to outlast your playlist. This over-the-ear headphone offers Plantronics’ signature audio performance and design for all-day wearing comfort at home, travelling, in the office, and on the go. BackBeat PRO includes Plantronics’ smart sensor technology that automatically pauses your music when you take the headphones off and resumes play when you put them back on. The wireless Bluetooth® connection cuts the cord, and advanced ANC technology minimizes background sounds so you can fully immerse yourself in your music.
BackBeat FIT
BackBeat FIT combines comfort, fit and stability with Plantronics’ renowned audio excellence. Connecting to devices wirelessly via Bluetooth®, the small, lightweight headphones let people focus on fitness and enjoy their music, providing superior stereo performance and eliminating the distraction of tangled cords. Safety features such as bright colors, unique reflective materials and a specially-designed eartip allow exercisers to be aware of their surroundings, and its flexible design provides a comfortable, secure fit whatever your activity level. BackBeat FIT also comes with a neoprene armband that secures your smartphone when exercising and reverses to store the headphones.
EncorePro 500 Series
The Plantronics EncorePro 500 Series features a forward-looking, professional grade industrial design that uses new materials and technologies that yield an ergonomic fit that is extraordinarily durable, lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear. The noise-canceling technology ensures more focused and private calls, so conversations will be heard clearly with fewer misunderstood words and with reduced background noise from keyboards and close talkers. The series includes the following models: EncorePro 510/520 (dedicated over-the-head), EncorePro 530 (over-the-ear) and EncorePro 540 (convertible), the latter is unique in its simple design and high-performance audio no matter what the preferred wearing style. All models support wideband audio.
About the iF Design Awards
Since the introduction of the iF product design award in 1953, iF design awards have developed into prestigious trademarks for outstanding achievements in the field of design. Enterprises and design studios use the award to make their customers and additional target groups aware of the potentially decisive difference in product and service quality expressed by this distinction.
About Plantronics
Plantronics is a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers. We have pioneered new trends in audio technology, creating innovative products that allow people to simply communicate. From unified communication to Bluetooth® headsets to gaming solutions, we deliver uncompromising quality, an ideal experience, and extraordinary service. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100™, as well as 911 dispatch, air traffic control and various mission critical applications for those on the frontline. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.
BackBeat, EncorePro, Plantronics, RIG, Simply Smarter Communications, Voyager and Voyager Legend are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. registered in the US and other countries. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
###
Press Contact:
Lerin O’Neill
Plantronics
Senior Manager, Public Relations
(831) 458-7595
lerin.oneill@plantronics.com