Gennum announced the company's plans for offering high-end Bluetooth headsets for mobile professionals. The company demonstrated the first model called Z-E-N during the CeBIT 2004 Germany. According to the company the new headsets incorporate Gennum's patented audio processing technologies, Z-E-N headsets giving users of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones a higher audio quality.
The Z-E-N headsets are designed to compensate for the limitations facing mobile phone users, including noisy environments, poor speech pick-up and audio delivery. The headset features a technology a directional audio processing technology called FrontWave. The headsets can filter out background noise while simultaneously amplifying the voice of the user.
This is the same technology to be used in Frogtalk, a Bluetooth headset to be offered by Frogpad. The companies also collaborate in the production of the new Frogpad Bluetooth keyboard.
The Z-E-N can also be used without a cell phone to amplify and improve the sound quality of in-person live conversations in noisy environments. Designed to be operated by one hand, the headset features on/off and volume control switches as well as a user selectable noise reduction switch to adjust the unit's audio processing requirements based on environmental needs. The rechargeable lithium polymer battery offers up-to six hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time. The headset will be available to consumers in June 2004.
