Hate messing around with cables? Want to put the music from your BlackBerry onto your home stereo system without a lot of hassle? BlackBerry users will be very excided to hear about the BlackBerry Music Gateway, a companion accessory for your BlackBerry from RIM.

This device allows you to wirelessly transmit music to your stereo system from your BlackBerry Smartphone or any other compatible Bluetooth Mobile device. The process is simple; choose a song on your BlackBerry Smartphone or any Bluetooth enabled device that supports the A2DP profile, hit play and you’re hearing that song through your stereo speakers wirelessly via the BlackBerry Music Gateway.

The first thing I noticed about this device is its compact size, measuring in at 50 millimeters both horizontally and vertically. The device is so small that you could easily place it somewhere and forget about it. On the front of the BlackBerry Music gateway is a LED light, which indicates the status of the device. Along the back is a Micro-USB power connecter and a 3.5 mm stereo jack. In the box, RIM includes an RCA auxiliary cable in addition with a 3.5 mm stereo cable. The RCA auxiliary cable allows you to use the standard red and white RCA audio connecters to connect the product to your home stereo system or you may choose to use the standard 3.5 mm connection.

Once powered on and connected, the product performed very well. Setup was a breeze and the included manual and documentation had very clear directions on how to get the product up and running. All that is necessary is for you to pair up your phone or device with the BlackBerry Music Gateway. Next, select a song and your wirelessly streaming it to your stereo via the Blackberry Music Gateway. The sound quality and range were excellent and I was able to walk around my entire house without any drops in audio. The music sounded loud and clear and I really like how it gives you the ability to adjust the volume directly from the device and stream music within applications. I was able to launch Internet radio applications like Pandora and Slacker Radio and hear the music streaming over 3G to my stereo via the BlackBerry Wireless Gateway with great clarity.

One small disappointment is that the product does not include a power cable in the box; instead they urge users to use their existing travel charger. This may bug some users, especially Blackberry Tour owners like myself, as the Tour travel charger that RIM urges you to use isn’t compatible with the Music Gateway. Tour users must purchase an additional travel charger in order to power the device, which is a minor drawback.

I find this product very useful and I love how it creates a seamless integration between your BlackBerry Smartphone and your existing home stereo. The $89.99 price tag along with the $30 cost for an optional adaptor if your device charger isn’t compatible, may be a bit steep, but the product definitely performs well above my expectations and does everything RIM claims. Sound quality, setup and range were all very good and if you own a BlackBerry Smartphone and you’re tired with messing around with wires to hook up your Berry to your stereo system, you really can’t go wrong with the BlackBerry Music Gateway.

The device sells for $89.99 and is available directly from BlackBerry.

Unknowingly, we broke the story of the iP47 back in March.

It’s a taller, narrower iHome clock/radio/iPod dock. Only this time, it has Bluetooth on board. This allows you you to make wireless speakerphone calls from your iPhone, cell phone, PDA, etc., right from your alarm clock. It also lets you beam your music from any Bluetooth-compatible product (like your laptop) and play it up to 30 feet away on the iP47.

We finally got the chance to play with the iP47, and we’re impressed. The Bluetooth works as advertised, and phone and music playback sound great.

The calls were surprisingly clear over the unit, and you can even make calls using the remote control, leaving your iPhone or whatever plugged in and charging. A tray also pulls out of the unit with a full alphanumeric keypad. You can also plug in anything that’s not wireless via the line-in jack.

At $150, it’s an investment, but weigh the features and decide for yourself.

Garmin announced Monday that it will provide GPS navigation to Kenwood’s 2008 lineup of in-dash car electronics.

“We have been very pleased with Kenwood’s success in selling Garmin-equipped units since we started our partnership in 2006, and we’re expecting even greater things in 2008,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales.  ”We have developed an integrated marketing strategy with Kenwood that will benefit dealers and consumers.”

This is an interesting agreement, the terms of which call for Garmin and Kenwood to team up on advertising and develop a website for the new Kenwood/Garmin integrated products.

“The alliance between Kenwood and Garmin is very unique to the consumer electronics industry,” said Keith Lehman, senior vice president of Kenwood USA Corporation.  ”The combination of Kenwood’s multimedia, in-car technologies and Garmin’s GPS navigation technologies has produced a remarkable line of advanced products that appeal to even the most demanding customers.  With our joint promotional activity already underway, we expect 2008 to be a very successful year.”

According to Garmin, the navigation component features pre-loaded maps of North America or Europe, along with six million points of interest built into a touch screen interface. “The Garmin system uses internal flash memory for driving the navigation software engine so there’s no need to swap navigation discs as with many competitive models,” Garmin said Monday. “Other optional features available on these cutting-edge units include Satellite Radio, HD Radio, Bluetooth, high-speed iPod audio and video control, and more.”

The new Kenwood units will be available globally through Kenwood dealers and their dealer option business.  For more information visit http://www.kenwoodusa.com/ or  http://www.garmin.com/.