On the heels of its new M500-XT over-the-ear compact headset, BlueParrott unveiled the new Pro Series, a line of purpose-built headsets with a boom mic and sizable sound-dampening ear cushion for professional drivers. The new Pro Series signifies the next generation for the brand.
The announcement came as truckers of all stripes were getting a sneak peak at the new B350 and B450 at the Mid-America Trucking Show. The two models represent the next generation of BlueParrot's most popular OTR headsets, said company product management director Dave Jaques.
The last update of the models dates back to 2021, and since then, noted Jaques, noise-canceling technology advancements with machine-learning have only made the technology even more effective, yielding now up to 98% cancelation and, with lower-power processing, much more battery life. Maximum talk time on a charge has gone from 24 to 40 hours with the new models.
They'll start shipping mid-April to truck stops and other retailers, and are available via BlueParrott's website at retail as well.
Like the prior generations of the model, the B350 and B450 are ruggedized with IP-rated durability and features designed specifically for pro drivers, including long wireless range and reliable multi-device connectivity.
"We’re like a Stanley hammer to these guys," Jaques said of current users. Truckers "rely on these headsets, use them every day, and they know they can trust it." If you're satisfied with current versions and options, these models haven't lost "what you've fallen in love with," in other words.
The B350 adds signficantly upgraded processing power, new answer-call functionality simply by lowering the boom mic, hang-up by raising it.
With the B450, "you grab an extra five hours of talk time," said Jaques, and the "coolest thing is the current features in the [more full-featured] 550 and 650 -- the customizable-function BlueParrot button, and the benefits of [Active Noise Control] -- both of those are in the 450 now."
As always with the Pro Series headsets, the basic layout of side controls remains the same, but the company took design lessons learned and first implemented in the M500-XT over-ear headset to give volume control buttons more of a rocker form factor.
New capabilities through the BlueParrott mobile app are on the way to making it more than a use-at-setup-only tool. "If it’s just a utility it goes into the dark corner of your phone," only to be remembered again when it's time to clean up apps you need no longer, said Jaques.
Now, for the B450, you can turn on ANC and set it to remain on, likewise enable the heaset to respond to the "Hello BlueParrott" voice command and pull up your phone's voice assistant. Engineers were able, too, to respond to a "huge complaint we had on the old one" in dueling incoming call notifications from both the phone and the headset itself, Jaques said.
The BlueParrott button's functionality will be controllable in-app, too, among many other new functions.
