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Bose has today announced that their popular QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones now come in an Android-compatible version, for “most Samsung Galaxy smartphones/tablets and Android devices”. The headphones are now also available in black or white to suit your tastes.

Over the last year or so we’ve reviewed a few different Bose headphones and each time we’ve come away impressed with the product. The Bose Quiet Comfort 20 in-ear headphones feature an in-line mic and remote to control both music and phone calls. Bose says that the QC20 delivers an unmatched sound for a small in-ear headphone which “sounds amazing and can be worn comfortably for hours”. Of course, there’s noise-cancelling technology in there too.

The QC20 features two microphones inside each earbud – one to sense the sound approaching and the other to measure the sound inside. The measurements are then sent to an exclusive digital electronic chip located in the control module on the headphone cord. The chip calculates an equal and opposite noise cancellation signal within a fraction of a millisecond. The result of all this is a reduction in the noise with distractions “virtually unheard”.

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Sometimes it is good to be able to hear the outside world though (car horns, your wife, etc), and as such Bose has included a button on the cable of the QC20 headphones that will switch the headphones into “Aware mode”, which turns off noise cancelling. This keeps the music/Ausdroid podcast playing, but allows surrounding noise to be heard.

The QC20 headphones include a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 16 hours of use. If the battery dies, the music still plays on, just without the noise cancelling features. A USB charging cable is included – which you would expect for AU$399 – and the headphones are available in both black and a white. They’re currently available at Bose retail stores, authorised Bose dealers, online at Bose Australia and Bose New Zealand or you can call toll free to order on 1800 173 371.

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