Will the Microsoft Surface Headphones give Bose a run for its money?

The new, noise-cancelling Microsoft Surface Headphones. — AFP Relaxnews

Microsoft brought more than just PCs to the Surface event in New York City on Oct 2. The premium, noise-cancelling Surface Headphones were a surprise for everyone, and the resulting excitement appears well merited.

The new over-ear wireless headphones by Microsoft Surface were an exciting surprise at Oct 2's New York event, and they certainly solidified the company's place as a competitor in the noise-cancelling headphone market.

In fact, you can choose just how noise-cancelling the Surface Headphones are via an on-ear dial. From no cancellation to cancellation up to 30db for active noise and 40dB for passive noise, these headphones aim to make it easy to transition from the noisy subway to gentle conversations at the coffee shop without ever putting away the headphones.

However, if you do find yourself in a situation where you have to take the headphones off, your music will be automatically paused as soon as you remove them from your ears.

The dial on the other ear adjusts the volume, and you'll find touch controls on the edges to manually pause or skip tracks. A full charge offers up to 15 hours of battery life, and five minutes of charging can bring you nearly an hour of listening.

If you're a fan of talking to everything you own, the Surface Headphones even support "Hey Cortana".

Though they're not yet available, Microsoft says that the US$350 (RM1,452) headphones will be available to be shipped in time for the holidays. As the market becomes more and more saturated with premium headphone options, it's going to be hard to pick what to put on your Christmas list. – AFP Relaxnews