BlackberryMusicGateway
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BlackBerry Music Gateway goes on sale, brings a little NFC into your life
RIM showed off the BlackBerry Music Gateway with the promise of a June release, and it's clearly not wasting any time: the first of the month has seen the tiny audio bridge go on sale. It'll set you back $50, but you'll get a conduit for music from any Bluetooth-packing device, whether or not it has that signature 7-dot logo on the back. The extra-special BlackBerry affection comes through NFC support, where equipped phones like the Bold 9930 can pair faster through a friendly tap. Buying straight from the source will lead to a one- to two-week wait, but if you're looking for the most polished way to share your musical tastes from a BlackBerry or PlayBook, it's likely worth being patient.
BlackBerry Music Gateway hands-on (video)
The music streaming accessory market is immensely saturated, but RIM is hoping to add its own flavor with its latest version of the BlackBerry Music Gateway. We took a brief look at this year's BlackBerry World in Orlando, and were impressed by both its size and ease of use. A tiny dongle no larger than the Bold 9900's display, the device easily pairs up with any Bluetooth-enabled phone, tablet or music player and lets you push your tunes into a home or car stereo -- provided it offers ports for RCA cables, that is. NFC is also added into the mix this time around, which means you can impress friends by simply tapping your BlackBerry to the Gateway to initiate the pairing sequence. While it's not bringing anything drastically new to the table, its $50 price tag makes it a tempting offer for anyone whose FM transmitter is picking up nothing but static in a densely populated city. If you fall into that category or are just looking for something to bedazzle close friends and relatives, don't hesitate to check out our gallery below and video after the break.
BlackBerry Music Gateway streams audio over Bluetooth, pairs with NFC for RIM-made remote control
It's not the QNX-based smartphone you've all been waiting for, but it should give crackberry devotees something to bop along to. Outed just one day before the company's showcase officially kicks off in Orlando, Waterloo's trotting out its BlackBerry Music Gateway: a car / home stereo accessory that pairs with your BB handset or PlayBook tablet to wirelessly stream audio over Bluetooth with an NFC assist. The $50 peripheral, set for a June release, is meant to turn your RIM-built device into an easy-to-use remote at a distance of up to 30 feet. For that convenient near field communication control, however, you'll need to be packing one of the company's NFC-enabled phones, like the Bold 9790 or Curve 9360/ 9380. Splashiest news to come out of BlackBerry World 2012? We sure hope not. Consider this the trickle before the eventual PR deluge.
