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Sony adds Alexa to its stellar WH-1000XM3 headphones
Sony's WH-1000XM3 are the best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy, and at CES 2019, the company is adding another handy feature to the spec list. Amazon's Alexa will soon be available built-in on the headphones via an update through Sony's Headphone Connect app. This means with the press of a button, you can ask the virtual assistant to play music, skip tracks, answer your search queries and control your connected smart home gear. What's more, the update will also be available on the two older 1000X models: the WH-1000XM2 and WI-1000X.
The best audio gear to give as gifts
Maybe there's an audiophile on your list, or maybe you're shopping for someone who recently acquired a new phone and could use something better than the pack-in headphones. Either way, we have a slew of recommendations in the audio gear section of our holiday gift guide. On our list you'll find smart speakers from Google and Amazon alike, along with Sonos, whose new "One" speaker includes Alexa built in, with Google Assistant support coming soon. When it comes to headphones, our selections run the gamut from the affordable (Jabra's Move headset) to the high end (Bragi's Dash Pro wireless earbuds and these noise cancelling headphones from Sony), with a couple mid-range options in between. Rounding out the list, we have a soundbar, drum machine, synth app, the Amazon Echo Show and one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. Find all that and many more items in our holiday gift guide, at the link below.
Sony made its best headphones even better
I'm not exaggerating when I say that Sony's MDR-1000X headphones are probably the best wireless noise-cancelling option on sale right now. That model took me by complete surprise last year when it sounded better and offered stronger noise cancellation than the Bose QC35. Sony is taking the "if it ain't broke..." approach when it comes to the follow-up to the MDR-1000X, one of three new models the company is debuting at IFA.
