Sony is going to be releasing their answer to the Apple EarPods in August for $229.99. The WF-1000XM3 earbuds have noise-cancellation technology so you can listen to audiobooks and not have the murmuring of people or the dull roar of cars distracting you.
The earbuds are black and the Sony logo and microphone inlet are adorned with rose gold / copper accents. Each earbud has a circular area for touch controls: you adjust noise cancellation with the left earbud and audio playback with the right. Tapping the left earbud toggles between noise cancellation and ambient sound mode, which pipes in outside audio.
Sony disclosed to Good e-Reader about the overall sound quality “Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX (DSEE HX™) upscales compressed digital music files including MP3 formats, to bring you closer to the quality of High-Resolution Audio. Fully immerse yourself in high quality sound, whether you’re listening to music or enjoying the latest film on the go and thereby transform the dreaded commute into a fun and relaxing escape from the commotion around you.”
Battery life is rated at six hours on a charge with noise cancellation enabled. If you turn it off, that extends to eight hours. The case holds enough extra juice to allow for a total of 24 hours.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
