PGi and Plantronics Power Smarter Working with Next-Generation Integration

Integration of Contextual Intelligence Makes Virtual Meetings More Effective

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Jan 23, 2013, 05:00 ET

ATLANTA and SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- PGi (NYSE: PGI), a global leader in virtual meetings for more than 20 years, and Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT), a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers, today launched an integrated solution that leverages the power of contextual intelligence to make collaborative meetings more effective. Bringing together the Plantronics Voyager Legend™ UC headset and iMeet, PGi's cloud-based social video conferencing solution, provides users with a more natural and intuitive virtual meeting experience.

With the integration, iMeet can take advantage of contextual intelligence, through aspects of a user's physical world, to trigger specific actions within the meeting. For example, iMeet will know if a user is wearing their Plantronics Voyager Legend UC headset and whether they are available to take a video call or if they are busy and unable to meet. Users can launch an iMeet meeting with a single tap of their headset, and iMeet will automatically signal other meeting guests if the user mutes or takes off their headset and when they step away from the meeting. The result is a simpler, smarter virtual meeting, free from confusion and the awkward: "Are you there, Bob? ... Uh, sorry, I was on mute."

"The changing needs of today's workforce are clear – people need to stay productive and engaged with their co-workers, partners and customers from wherever they are, regardless of the device they are using to communicate," said David Guthrie, PGi Chief Technology Officer. "PGi has been on the forefront of creating innovative collaboration technologies for more than 20 years, and with this first-of-its-kind integration, we're again breaking new ground for the industry by making meetings more effective."

Plantronics, whose UC headsets have been designed for broad compatibility using an open development platform, developed the Voyager Legend UC headset to enable easy integration with software solutions. PGi has tapped into the Plantronics Spokes™ SDK to enhance iMeet and support a more natural way for users to interact, from the office, at home or on the go. PGi is continuing to develop additional integration features with the Voyager Legend UC headset, such as the ability for iMeet users to seamlessly transition from a mobile call to a VoIP call through their desktop computer, which it plans to offer later this year.

"We launched our Plantronics development community to allow ISVs to improve their applications by responding to the state information from our wearable technology. PGi is one of the early innovators to utilize our product's contextual awareness capabilities," said Barry Margerum, Chief Strategy Officer, Plantronics. "Contextual awareness, such as if a person is wearing a headset or near a video-enabled PC, allows iMeet users to more naturally and productively interact with remote colleagues. Our SDK has allowed PGi to bring aspects of a person's physical environment into their virtual environments, making meetings more effective."

Plantronics' Spokes™ Software and the Plantronics Developer Connection

With the Spokes SDK, developers can integrate contextual information such as mobile phone caller ID, mobile phone call state, proximity to a connected PC and headset wearing state. By incorporating information from the physical world, context aware software can dramatically improve business productivity. If you're a developer and you want more information and to download the software developer's kit (SDK), visit the Plantronics Developer's Connection at http://developer.plantronics.com or learn more about Plantronics' integration partners here: http://www.plantronics.com/us/partners/developers/.

Voyager Legend UC – The Next Generation of an Iconic Communications Device

Plantronics Voyager Legend UC is the award-winning Voyager® family's latest solution which connects to a laptop, mobile phone or tablet. This headset understands how and when you want to talk, with industry-first Smart Sensor™ technology that reacts when you put the headset on, letting you quickly take a call without a click. Tapping the voice command button provides battery level, connection status, and more. A portable charging case and a desktop charging stand mean that it's always ready, while precision-tuned triple mics cancel noise and wind. The Voyager Legend UC is now available for $199.95 MSRP at Plantronics.com and through authorized resellers and distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.plantronics.com/us/product/voyager-legend-uc.

iMeet – An Innovation in Face-to-Face Virtual Communication and Collaboration

iMeet is PGi's award winning cloud-based solution that lets people meet face-to-face online from anywhere on any device. iMeet features a highly intuitive interface and lets you meet with up to 15 people in HD video. iMeet can help companies save money on travel costs and still be highly productive. Common iMeet uses include sales meetings, recruiting interviews, client service, team meetings and more. For more information or to get a free trial, please visit: http://www.pgi.com/products/imeet.

About Plantronics - Simply Smarter Communications™

Plantronics is a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers. We have pioneered new trends in audio technology for 50 years, creating innovative products that allow people to simply communicate. From unified communication solutions to Bluetooth® headsets, we deliver uncompromising quality, an ideal experience, and extraordinary service. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100™, as well as 911 dispatch, air traffic control and the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

About Premiere Global Services, Inc. │ PGi
PGi has been a global leader in virtual meetings for 20 years. PGi's cloud-based solutions deliver multi-point, real-time virtual collaboration using video, voice and file sharing technologies. PGi solutions are available via desktops, tablets or mobile devices, helping businesses worldwide be more productive, mobile and green. PGi has a global presence in 25 countries and an established base of more than 35,000 enterprise customers, including 75% of the Fortune 100. In the last five years, PGi has hosted nearly one billion people from 137 countries in over 200 million meetings. For more information, visit PGi at www.pgi.com.

Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking and subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are made based on management's current expectations or beliefs as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. A variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in Premiere Global Services, Inc.'s forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following factors: competitive pressures, including pricing pressures; technological changes and the development of alternatives to our services; market acceptance of new cloud-based, virtual meeting services, including our iMeet^®and GlobalMeet^®services; our ability to attract new customers and to retain and further penetrate our existing customers; risks associated with challenging global economic conditions; price increases from our telecommunications service providers; service interruptions and network downtime; technological obsolescence and our ability to upgrade our equipment or increase our network capacity; concerns regarding the security of transactions; future write-downs of goodwill or other intangible assets; greater than anticipated tax liabilities; restructuring and cost reduction initiatives and the market reaction thereto; our level of indebtedness; risks associated with acquisitions and divestitures; the impact of the sale of our PGiSend business; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, including possible adverse results of litigation or infringement claims; regulatory or legislative changes, including further government regulations applicable to traditional telecommunications service providers and data privacy; risks associated with international operations and market expansion, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and other factors described from time to time in our press releases, reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or a person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Plantronics®, Smart Sensor™, Voyager Legend™, Voyager®, Spokes™ and Simply Smarter Communications™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.

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