Poly & Intel: Working Towards the Evolution of Bluetooth

Have you noticed with the newer laptop models that the number of USB ports is reducing on some models?  Are you constantly plugging and unplugging your USB devices?  Now, with Poly and Intel® coming together, it will no longer be necessary to do that with the updated Poly Bluetooth USB headsets which free up a USB port.

The Past

In the early days of Bluetooth headsets, users had to be sure they had the correct drivers, firmware, software, etc. in order to connect.  Often times, the audio quality wasn't that good.  Poly solved those problems by engineering its own USB Bluetooth adapter to communicate clearly, but that used one of the available USB ports.

Bluetooth Headsets are Evolving

With the collaboration of Poly and Intel®, Poly headsets are being optimized to meet the Intel® Engineered for Evo™ accessories program requirements for Bluetooth headsets.  This maximizes performance for Bluetooth headsets without the need of a USB Bluetooth adapter.

The initial Poly headsets that will support Intel® Engineered for Evo™ accessories program will be Voyager Focus 2 and Voyager 4300 Series (Office Headsets) through a firmware update.  Look for the Intel® Evo™ platform brand on select 11th and 12th Gen Intel® Core processor-based laptops from an assortment of manufacturers.

What's in the Future?

Those who spend much of their time on conference/collaboration calls want the ability to be able to answer/end and mute/unmute the call directly from the headset.  Though not supported using native Bluetooth, Poly is in the process of engineering this capability with major UC phone and conferencing software providers to add this feature without needing a USB adapter.  This new feature will be tested with Microsoft Teams early in 2022.

As both Poly and Intel® move forward, and more UC phone providers come on board, users will be able to experience the full benefits of a direct Bluetooth connection and enjoy full call control as well.

To see all Poly Bluetooth headsets, visit Poly Voyager Headsets.

To learn more about Inte®l Evo™, visit Intel.com.