Bose QuietComfort 35 review – CNET

The Good The Bose QuietComfort 35 combines top-of-the-line active-noise canceling with wireless Bluetooth operation in an extra-comfortable, fold-up design. The sound is excellent for Bluetooth, and it doubles as a great headset for phone calls. Works in wired mode with included cord if battery dies.

The Bad Battery isn’t user-replaceable, and the headphone is heavier than the QuietComfort 25.

The Bottom Line Bluetooth meets best-in-class noise canceling: the Bose QuietComfort 35 is the ultimate noise canceling wireless headphone you can buy right now.

This is the Bose product a lot of people have been waiting for: the QuietComfort 35, an active noise-canceling headphone that’s also wireless.

At $350 (£290, AU$499), it costs more than the wired QuietComfort 25. But at least it’s only a $50 price bump, which puts this around what Beats’ competing Studio Wireless costs. (That 2014 headphone has been discounted in recent months, however, indicating Beats probably has something new coming.)

While the QC35 is very similar looking to the QC25 and is relatively lightweight, it is heavier than the QC25, weighing in at 10.9 ounces or 309 grams vs. 6.9 ounces or 196 grams. The one significant exterior design change Bose has made is to widen the headband, which makes for a little more stable fit with perhaps some added sturdiness.

The QuietComfort 35 has a wider headband than the QuietComfort 25 and weighs more.

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With microphones inside and outside the earcups, Bose says the QC35 senses, measures and sends unwanted sounds to two proprietary digital electronic chips — one for each ear — that respond with a precise, equal and opposite signal in less than a fraction of a millisecond. According to Bose, the headphone is also equipped with a new digital equalizing system that balances the sound, whether you’re listening at lower or higher volumes.

Battery life is rated at 20 hours, which is quite good. However, Bose has moved to an integrated rechargeable battery from the the QC25’s AAA removable battery configuration. (Bose’s SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II also uses an integrated rechargeable battery.) I personally don’t have a problem with the change — and don’t like having to buy new batteries — but some people prefer their powered headphones to use standard batteries so you can swap in a new one should the headphone die, say, mid-flight. Also, rechargeable batteries only have so many charges in them, and while the one in the QC35 should last several years, it’s not user-replaceable. (By comparison, the Parrot Zik has a removable, rechargeable battery.)

The good news is the headphone does work as a wired headphone if the battery runs out of juice (a 47.2-inch cord is included — it’s slimmer than the one that comes with the QC25 and has no integrated microphone). You just can’t use the noise-canceling or Bluetooth, of course, but at least you can get some sound out of it, and the tight seal of the ear cups does provide a fair amount of noise isolation. As a passive headphone, the QC35 sounds decent — just not $350 decent. When powered on, the digital processing and equalization features do smooth things out and improve the sound, so it’s best used it as a powered headphone.

The headphone is also available in a silver version.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s also worth noting that it’s important to have the corded option for airplane use. Some airlines will still restrict you from using Bluetooth headphones during portions of the flight, and a cord is necessary to plug into your seat’s in-flight entertainment system. Thats’ the one drawback of Bose’s upcoming QuietControl 30 in-ear Bluetooth headphone with variable noise-canceling: it can only be used as a wireless headphone and has no corded option.

As for other features, there’s an integrated remote on the right earcup with buttons for adjusting the volume, controlling playback and answering and ending calls. The QC35 also works with Bose’s free Connect app for iOS and Android devices, and I didn’t have any trouble pairing the headphone with an iPhone 6S, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and and MacBook Air (you can pair the headphone with two devices at the same time and jump back and forth between them).

Bose may add features to the Connect app in the future, but currently it’s pretty basic: It allows you to manage your pairing list, upgrade the firmware and change the auto power off settings (the headphone powers down if you don’t use it for a certain length of time, which is a good battery-saving feature). When you turn on the headphones, a female voice advises you of how much battery life is remaining and with which devices you’re paired. That information is also available in the app.

Bose QuietComfort 35 (pictures)
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Available in silver or black, the QC35 is designed to be used as an advanced wireless headset, and it muffles ambient sounds like wind and crowd noise so callers can hear you better — and vice versa. There’s also a side-tone feature that allows you to hear your own voice in the headphones as you speak so you don’t raise your voice while talking.

It works really well as a headset and is great for conference calls (I’m on one as I write this). It’s superior to the QC25 in this regard.

Best noise-canceling, excellent sound for Bluetooth

The QC35 may not be the best-sounding Bluetooth headphone out there, but it’s certainly among them. I spent most of my time comparing it to the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless and the Beats Studio Wireless, both of which are Bluetooth headphones that feature active noise-canceling (the Parrot Zik 3 and Sony H.ear on Wireless NC do, too).

Xiaomi Mi Max review – CNET

The Good The Xiaomi Mi Max has a brilliant, massive 6.4-inch screen and ridiculously good battery life.

The Bad The phone’s enormous size makes it hard to use one-handed; it’s also heavy and sticks out uncomfortably in your pants pocket.

The Bottom Line The Xiaomi Mi Max’s premium build, amazing battery life and superlarge screen make this a good phone for watching videos and playing games but the size makes it hard to use with one hand.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

If the phrase “too big” never made it into your vocabulary, then the 6.4-inch Xiaomi Mi Max was made for people like you. The display is bright and the battery lasts for a good, long time, but the question for any phone this large will always come back to size: is it too much for you, or can you work with it?

I’m personally not a fan. Phones don’t need to be small, but they also shouldn’t be hard to use one-handed. And let’s be clear here, the Max is a strictly two-handed affair if you want to use it without difficulty (unless you have really large hands). I found it hard to reach apps, and it’s just a pain to keep adjusting my grip to reach stuff at the top of the phone. Still, I guess the Mi Max is really useful to shade your face on a sunny day, and I do really like how the metal chassis feels in my hands.

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The Xiaomi Mi Max is big enough to use as a shade if it’s sunny outside.

Aloysius Low/CNET

Of course, the real reason you’re buying this phone is to watch video and read — e-books, articles, Facebook, whatever — and the Mi Max is perfect for this. The large 6.4-inch full-HD (1,920×1,080 pixels) is sharp and vibrant, and Xiaomi’s Sunlight Display technology makes details like words and images clearer under bright sunlight. Gaming on the phone was great. Asphalt 8 ran smoothly on High settings, and I actually liked having a bigger screen here.

Ninebot by Segway miniPro Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

In the space of twelve months, hoverboards went from cool new gadgets to public (spaces) enemy number one. Between being a pedestrian hazard and potentially explosive, these motorized self-balancing skateboards are illegal to use outside of private property in New York City and the entirety of the United Kingdom (to name just a few locales), and many airlines ban their transport, too.

Into that challenging market comes Segway. That company’s original product, the self-balancing two-wheeled Personal Transporter scooter, was essentially the original hoverboard. In fact, Ninebot — the Chinese company that purchased Segway in 2015 — has successfully barred all rival hoverboards from the US market, saying they infringe on Segway’s patent for self-balancing two-wheeled devices.

And with its new miniPro, Segway’s pitch is now, “Why settle for those knockoffs when you can get the real thing?” Indeed, the Segway miniPro is essentially a downsized version of the old Personal Transporter. But the name brand status will cost you a pretty penny: $999, to be precise.

The Ninebot by Segway miniPro is a high-end hoverboard with unusual features including a steering column and Bluetooth remote.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The classic Segway handlebars have been shrunken down to a distinctive knee-high “steering bar” poking up from the main platform. It’s also better built than most hoverboards with chunky tires and a substantial-feeling platform to stand upon.

But while it may look like an old-school Segway, the miniPro’s weight limit is a lot more conservative — 185 pounds (84 kg) versus 260 pounds (118 kg). While most hoverboards are controlled by leaning with your feet, only the miniPro is supplemented by the steering bar which makes finer control possible. You grip the steering bar above your knee and lean left or right to turn. It’s easy to turn 360 degrees on the spot as a result.

Related Links

• Before you even think of buying a hoverboard, read this
• Segway bought by Chinese rival Ninebot
• Segway offers hoverboard competitor in US for $1,000
• Hoverboards banned again for infringing Segway patents

It pays to keep in mind that the steering bar is “live” when powered on, and should definitely not be used to steady yourself when getting on unless you want to be flung off. Instead you need to step on one of the pads, listen for the beep and then carefully lift your other foot onto it. It takes a little practice, but it’s not like balancing on a bike as the pads are unusually sensitive. You may end up scooting back and forward slightly when you stand still just to keep your balance.

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While it’s locked to 4 MPH (6.4 km/h) for the first kilometer, it’s capable of a potential top speed of 10 MPH (16.1 km/h). But the device is designed to slow you down way before that and it does this by gently leaning backwards. The hoverboard beeps and notifies you when you’re going “too fast” which we found was around the 6 to 7 MPH mark (10 km/h).

It’s definitely fun to ride around and a few people including myself experienced a kind of Hello Panda moreishness. You want to keep riding as soon as you get off.

One thing we did notice is that the unit can be a little hyperactive when left to its own devices. It can slowly roll away when sitting by itself even when on a flat surface. This is surely a gyroscope issue but it shouldn’t move unless being controlled (either by a rider or by Bluetooth). While there is a balance control slider which is designed to prevent this happening it wasn’t very effective. The scooter slid backwards and forwards anyway.

Screenshot: Ty Pendlebury/CNET

And yes, the Segway is controllable by Bluetooth. The scooter comes with an app (iOS and Android) which is used for a bunch of different functions — and this includes annoyingly insistent and undefeatable safety instructions (even if you’ve sat through them before you need to wait 30 seconds or shut down the app to leave). The app also monitors speed and charge levels.

The remote control gives you a D-Pad type surface to control the miniPro but there’s no camera and it’s only over Bluetooth. This means line-of-sight with 50 feet (15m) or so. It’s a fun trick and great for scaring pets, but it’s even harder to control than when riding. Braking takes a lot longer, even when you pull right back, and it’s really easy to crash the unit. As a result it’s probably not something you’ll use a lot.

It’s worthwhile noting that there is a China-only version called the mini (as opposed to the miniPro) which is only $300. Segway says the differences between the two are in the feature set, and that the local version was subject to the UL 2272 certification which covers hoverboards specifically, unlike the mini.

Expensive, impractical — and incredibly fun

The Segway is like one of those cool mini Mercedes electric cars for kids — it looks like fun but its kind of out of the reach of most people. As a commuter device, though, the Ninebot by Segway miniPro is pretty limited because it’s not designed to go over significant humps like crosswalks. This is a toy primarily, and a pretty expensive one.

But we can’t deny that it’s also very fun. Everyone in the office was crowding around and demanding a ride. For a product in our office full of jaded tech journalists, that’s a rare feat these days.