SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—June 4, 2015 - Plantronics (NYSE:PLT) , PLT Labs and Clarity today announced the winners of the 2015 PLT Labs Application Innovation Contest, created to spark the imagination of innovators around the world by giving them access to Plantronics APIs, SDKs, and the company’s Wearable Concept One prototype device. The winning applications included a business application for mobile devices, an application for people with limited mobility, and a personal application for mobile devices.
The winners of the 2015 PLT Labs Application Innovation Contest are:
Grand Prize Winner:
Team: Bitcot (Raj Sanghvi)
Concept: “PlanetCar,” a cross-platform mobile app which leverages data gleaned from several of the nine-axis sensors in Plantronics’ Wearable Concept 1 prototype device, to raise an alert when a collision event is detected (i.e. accident). The goal is to help first responders reduce the time required to reach the site of an emergency.
Second Place Winner
Team: Deep Contact (Vamis Xhagjika)
Concept: A thin client solution, code named “ContactCenterEvo,”which provides cloud back-end support for mobile Contact Centers. This solution integrated the client with Wearable Concept 1 for features such as UX navigation, user authentication and data mining for optimized operator tracking.
Third Place Winner
Team: Ergo UK (Jeffrey Powell)
Concept: This solution combined a Wearable Concept 1 and a mobile app to create a new solution focused on ergonomic best-practices in the workplace to deliver multiple health benefits.
The Grand prize contest winner received US $50,000, the second place winning team US $25,000 and the third place winner US $10,000. Winners can use these cash prizes for any purpose, including to continue their studies and innovation efforts or to start a company.
Plantronics received thousands of inquiries from over 33 countries with 88 teams entering the contest when it launched during the fall of 2014. Each of these entrants went through a rigorous series of elimination rounds, culminating with a formal presentation in front of a select panel of Plantronics judges. Each team’s submission was judged on technical compatibility with Plantronics devices, real-world feasibility, and overall creativity.
“We were extraordinarily pleased with our ability to engage innovators all around the world. Our five finalist teams came from South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and two teams from the United States,” said Christopher Thompson, vice president, global product marketing, Plantronics. “Through this context we were able to demonstrate that wearable, intelligent communications technology has appeal that goes well beyond traditional communications and collaboration applications.”
Please check developer.plantronics.com in the coming weeks for profiles of the winning teams.
About PLT Labs
PLT Labs is working on innovations that will help take wearable tech to the next level. Through PLT Labs, developers can sign-up for a chance to help shape the future of wearables and influence how people will interact with the Internet of Things. Sample applications can be found at http://pltlabs.com. Developers interested in joining the Plantronics developer community can find more information at http://developer.plantronics.com/welcome.
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.
About Clarity
Clarity, a division of Plantronics (NYSE:PLT), creates smart communication solutions that help seniors live richer, more engaged lives. For more than 40 years, Clarity's innovative products -- such as amplified telephones, notification systems and assistive listening devices -- have helped people with hearing loss, low vision, limited mobility, dexterity issues and other health challenges. Clarity has pioneered many firsts -- from digital sound processing in 2005 to remote-access customer service in 2010. Millions rely on Clarity to communicate at home, at work and throughout their lives. For more information, please visit www.clarityproducts.com or call 1-800-426-3738.
Clarity and Plantronics are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. registered in the US and other countries, and PLT Labs and Wearable Concept 1 are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics is under license. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.