Pryme expands headset, microphone product lines
Pryme Radio Products will introduce this week at IWCE 2011 In Las Vegas a push-to-talk version of the Bluetooth adapter that debuted last year, as well as several new adapters. The company also will debut products designed specifically for use in high-noise environments. The trade show portion of IWCE opens on March 9.
New is a Bluetooth push-to-talk switch that can be kept in a pocket, or attached to a key ring or to a lanyard so that it can be worn around the user’s neck.
“Normally, people put these Bluetooth adapters on their portables, and they can use any Bluetooth headset for receive audio and transmit audio, but to do PTT, they still have to reach down and push a button on the top of the adapter, or on the side of the radio, or they had to have a wired PTT switch that ran down their sleeve” said David George, Pryme’s president. “Now they can use this handheld device to wirelessly key up the radio.”
George said target applications for the Bluetooth push-to-talk switch include police bike patrols, forklift operators and SWAT or military operations. The switch comes with a Velcro strap that can be attached to bicycle handlebars, a vehicle gear shift or the stock of a weapon.
“If you’re an undercover cop you could just keep it in your pocket, so the bad guys see that you have a Bluetooth headset on and they just think you’re cool because you have your iPhone, or whatever, and they don’t realize that you’re talking to the police department,” George said.
Pryme also is unveiling a Bluetooth adapter that is designed for use with mobile radios that simply plugs into the microphone jack on the front of the radio and into the vehicle’s cigarette lighter for power.
“It’s a unique design,” George said. “By doing it that way, we eliminated a lot of the impediments to adding Bluetooth to a mobile. You don’t have to go to a dealership and have them drill holes in your radio and run cables out the back and all that sort of stuff. A taxi driver could plug this in, use a standard Bluetooth headset, and he’s hands-free.”
Also, Pryme is adding to its line of Bluetooth adapters for portable radios, with versions for Kenwood, Icom and Vertex handsets to go with Motorola adapters that debuted a year ago.
Additionally, the company is unveiling several products for high-noise environments. One is a “bone-transducer” headset that sits on the user’s head and makes contact with the bones surrounding the temples. It is designed to fit under helmets and hazmat suits.
“It basically picks up sounds from inside your head for the microphone, and broadcasts vibrations into the bones of the head for the speaker,” George said. “So it’s a device that’s very useful for high-noise environments, because it doesn’t pick up ambient [noise] and puts the audio straight into your head.”