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Holiday Gift Guide 2011

We all love music, so it's a good thing our BlackBerry devices come with a built-in media player. Audiophiles take great care when choosing a new system and are extremely picky when deciding between the right balance of sound quality versus features. The music lover in my family will spend hours adjusting bass and treble levels to get the sound exactly right. So why not help them out this holiday season and give the music lover in your family some of these accessories and applications to make sure they get the best music listening experience out of their device. 

What device do they own? 
Identify the device

First and foremost it's probably best to find out what BlackBerry they have. As Kevin mentioned the other week there have been at least 28 devices to hit the streets in the past few years including the new BlackBerry 7 devices. It's important to make sure you're buying them exactly what they need. Be sure to check out our device superpage for more information. If they're like me I always introduce mine as the Bold 9900. Otherwise I recommend the honest route and ask them what they have. Either way once you discover which one they own just enter it in using the device selector on ShopCrackBerry.com or check against the compatible list on the product's website.

Accessories

Memory Cards

SanDisk 32GB Micro SD Even though most devices have on board storage audiophiles need access to their growing library, including caching songs from their favorite streaming applications. Make sure they can listen to and view as many songs and videos as they see fit with an SD card. Plus it doubles as a portable flash drive to hold more than just music but their photos and documents as well.

More information / purchase SanDisk 32GB Micro SD Card
All available memory cards

Car Speakerphones

Jabra Freeway
For the music lover who spends an awful lot of time driving they need to hear their library blasting through their stereo. What better way than with a car speakerphone. They let you talk on your cell phone hands free and stream music at the same time. When you think of car speakerphones you don't think of amazing sound until you meet the Jabra Freeway. It has not just one but three speakers that guarantees superior audio quality and virtual surround sound. Take it from me they aren't happy when its quiet in the car so hook them up with this today and help them avoid tickets. It's the perfect combination.

Portable Bluetooth Speakers 

Jawbone Jambox
The music lover in my family demands not only clear sound but portability. What happens when you combine both is incredible. The Jawbone Jambox is a compact portable speaker that delivers amazing sound. It sounds just like a stereo. With a battery that lasts up to ten hours and four different colors to choose from they'll be looking to bring this everywhere they go.

Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
Audiophiles love to listen to their music anytime, anywhere so headphones aren't just an option but mandatory. Whether they're on the train, in the mall, or even sitting on the couch let them experience the rich sound of the MOTOROKR S10HD. They are light, comfortable, take calls, and won't tie you down with wires. It's even sweat-proof so you can still rock on while working out at the gym.
More information / purchase Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD
All Bluetooth stereo headphones
All Bluetooth headsets

Wired headsets

Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphones
If Bluetooth headsets aren't your style or you don't want to drain your battery yet still want the quality and features to satisfy your music lover then check out the Klipsch Image S4 In-Ear Headphones. These noise-isolating headphones deliver high audio quality and enhanced bass. They sport a stainless steel carrying case, three sizes of oval eartips for a great fit, and work with tablets and smartphones. They're a great pair of headphones that won't put a strain on your wallet.
Applications

Music streaming

Music aficionados can't take their entire library with them no matter how much they would like to. An SD card filled with music is one thing, listening to unlimited amounts of music is another. So why not treat them to a subscription to one (or more) of these popular services or applications.

Rdio

Rdio What do you get when you combine social networking and music? You get the popular social music service Rdio. It allows you to follow friends and listen to their playlists. In conjunction with their desktop application music on their device and computer is connected without cables so you can sync and listen anywhere even while offline. Streaming is commercial free and they even offer a digital music family plan.

More information / download Rdio 

Nobex Radio

Nobex RadioAudiophiles have their favorite radio stations and just because they are not at home or in the car doesn't mean they should be deprived of their favorites. Nobex lets you listen to over 16,000 radio stations, stream over WiFi or carrier's network, and listen to international content in more than 100 countries.

More information / purchase Nobex Radio Premium
More information / download Nobex for the BlackBerry PlayBook 

Slacker

Slacker PremiumNow that they've filled their SD card and listened to their radio stations it's time to give them some commercial free goodness of unlimited tunes both new and old. Have them discover new artists or rediscover old ones with a subscription to Slacker Radio. Slacker recently divided up their subscription services into Radio Plus and Premium Radio. The former gives you ad-free listening, unlimited song skips, complete song lyrics, and caching to the memory card. The Premium gives you all that and on-demand access to the Slacker library so tunes can be played whenever they want even on their PC.

More information / purchase a Slacker subscription
More information / download Slacker

7digital Music Store

7digitalThe audiophile in my family doesn't just love to stream music or rip from their own collection. They actually like to, *gasp*, purchase new items to expand their ever growing library. 7digital MP3 Music Store lets them browse the latest charts, preview tracks, and purchase DRM-free MP3's. It's also preinstalled on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Why not buy them a few of their favorite songs to enjoy on both their device and tablet. It's even integrated with Shazam so when they hear a song in the supermarket they can instantly purchase after tagging.

More information / download 7digital Music Store for BlackBerry smartphones

SkyTunes Music Streaming

SkyTunes Music Streaming Does your audiophile have multiple hard drives filled with music and wish they could access on their device? SkyTunes turns the BlackBerry PlayBook into a portable jukebox so they can easily stream music from their computer anywhere in the house by importing their library into the desktop application. It even caches the last 500 songs played so they can listen when not in the vicinity of WiFi.

More information / purchase SkyTunes Music Streaming for the BlackBerry PlayBook

Now that you've set them up with some great apps and accessories they can't run a device and play hours of music without the juice to back it up. So be sure to browse ShopCrackBerry.com and include some chargers, docks, or batteries along with their gift. Remember they can't transfer media to and from their device without these essential items.

Image courtesy of Melanie A. Rhoades
As the days grow colder and the nights become longer, we gather together amongst our friends and loved ones. It is a time of great happiness. A time when we celebrate the love and companionship we've received over the year, and a time to reflect upon the good times yet to come. It is the time of the year when we exchange gifts; a way for us to express gratitude towards one another for the simple pleasure of being a part of our lives. Though our gifts may be large or small, expensive or a bargain, they are but a token. A token of the joys of years past, a token of adventures to come. No matter the gift, I am certain it will be enjoyed. For it is but a symbol of the love, appreciation, and kindness we feel toward each other. And no gift, no matter how grandiose, can hope to equal even a small fraction of that.

Here's wishing you and yours a safe and happy Holiday Season, from all of us at CrackBerry.com!

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