Bose adds Google Assistant to top noise-cancelling headphone
The QuietComfort 35 II marks the first integration of Google Assistant in a headphone.
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Back in August Bose accidentally leaked shots in a newsletter of what appeared to be a new version of its top noise-cancelling headphone, the QuietComfort 35 . The tip-off was an extra button on the headphones that tech sleuths speculated had something to do with a possible voice assistant.
Now Bose has officially announced the not-so-secret QuietComfort 35 II or QC35 II and told us that the new "Action" button on the left ear cup allows you to connect to your Google Assistant without "having to grab your phone, unlock it, and find the app." And that wasn't the only Bose news of the day: It also introduced the SoundSport Free, a set of totally wireless Apple AirPods competitors.
Aside from that new button on the QC35 II, nothing has changed, Bose says. The price is still $350 (£330, AU$500). The headphone sounds the same as its predecessor, has the same noise cancelling and battery performance (up to 20 hours) and the same controls on the right ear cup -- audio volume and the multi-function button for incoming calls and accessing Siri.
Google Assistant is available for Android and iOS devices and is similar to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. Instead of talking to your phone to access Google Assistant, you just press and hold the Action button on the QC35 II and issue commands. The QC35 II's advanced microphone system "picks up voices with remarkable accuracy, so commands are understood," Bose says. And the headphone's noise cancellation "dramatically reduces sound around you," making the Google Assistant experience more personal and immersive.
Like the original QC35, the QC35 II also comes in silver.
Tomer Amarilio, product manager for Google Assistant, posted a blog about the first headphones that are "optimized for the Assistant" where he details some of Google Assistant's potential uses with the QC35 II. Presumably, other Assistant-optimized headphones are in the works.
The Bose QC35 II is available now in black and silver. Bose notes that the QC35 II's Action button will access the Google Assistant only in markets where Google Assistant is available. In other markets, the Action button will control noise settings only.
We'll have a full review of the QC35 II in the coming weeks.
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