Infotech Lead America: Plantronics has introduced a lightweight and flexible Bluetooth headset specifically designed to for commercial drivers. The new Blacktop 500 Bluetooth headset cancels road noise, stays comfortable all day, and lets drivers easily manage calls while complying with the federal law that bans handheld cellular phone use by commercial vehicle drivers.
The Blacktop 500 is an in-vehicle version of the award-winning Blackwire 710 headset, designed specifically for commercial drivers and truckers. Plantronics engineered the Blacktop 500 to cancel out road and engine noises that truckers incur on the road and added a convenient in-vehicle charging system.
The Blacktop 500 features Plantronics’ Smart Sensor technology that detects when the headset is being worn and automatically routes the audio – both calls and media like iTunes and Pandora – from the mobile phone to the headset whenever it’s put on. An in-vehicle charging system delivers unlimited talk time while driving. The USB connection can also be used for Internet chat or movies while taking a break from driving.
“Professional drivers, such as cabbies, delivery people and long-haul truckers, have to deal with incredibly challenging communications issues while on the road,” said Lori Langona, director of consumer marketing at Plantronics. “The Blacktop 500 pulls out all the stops when it comes to comfort, sound quality, noise cancellation and hands-free convenience, so that these driving pros can get the job done without missing a step.”
The Blacktop 500 features a wind and noise cancelling microphone that cancels road noise, the Internal Smart Sensor technology for automatic call answer and easy Bluetooth controls for mute, power, call answer/end, and volume. The reinforced headband is flexible and adjustable, with a cushioned earpiece for all day comfort.
The Blacktop 500 also has an in-vehicle power charger and multipoint to connect to two Bluetooth devices. It has a headset battery meter for iOS devices and bluetooth v3.0 + A2DP for audio streaming. It allows up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 10 days of standby time.
The Blacktop 500 is available now for $129.99 MSRP.
Plantronics has reported 8 percent increase in revenues to $197.4 million in third quarter fiscal year 2013 compared with $183.2 million in the same period last fiscal. Revenues from UC products, a subset of OCC, grew by 43 percent to $36.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 compared with $25.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal year 2012.
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