Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Plantronics on Monday introduced the .Audio 85, a new folding multipurpose headset the company said is equally suited for use with Apple’s iPod or as a voice headset for general Mac use.
The .Audio 85 is a stereo headphone with a built-in microphone. The mic works over USB and lets Mac users use voice applications like iChat, speech recognition and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications tools, even GarageBand. Gamers can also use the microphone to communicate in-game with other players in titles that support that capability.
The headset touts Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and noise canceling in the microphone. The .Audio 85 also includes in-line volume and mute control. The headband is adjustable and the cushions are soft and swivel-mounted. The headset also includes a 3.5mm jack for connecting to iPods and other headphone jack-equipped peripherals.
Plantronics sells the .Audio 85 for US$79.99; the company’s Web site product pages had not been updated with information about the new headset as MacCentral posted this article.