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As the holiday season draws near, members of the iPhone Life team share recommendations of apps and gear to help you celebrate in style, from White Elephant apps for your gift exchange to karaoke and trivia games to keep you entertained. You'll also learn how to take group photos of family and friends and craft the perfect holiday playlist on your iPhone. Other topics include Apple's long-awaited release of the AirPods and the new TV app. 

After a long delay, Apple is finally taking orders for its high-tech wireless earbuds, dubbed AirPods, to complement the iPhone 7. When Apple removed the dedicated headphone jack, one of the reasons it was supposed to be acceptable was that Apple would sell an advanced set of Bluetooth wireless earbuds that use their special W1 chip. This chip enables both earbuds to communicate with each other and easily pair with the iOS device. In fact, when you pair it with one iOS device, it will pair with your other iOS devices, based on your iCloud account. You can activate Siri just by touching either earbud, which is a nice, but could be distracting if done by accident.

I switched to satellite-based DirecTV a while ago, when AT&T (owner of DirecTV) offered unlimited wireless data for DirecTV subscribers. It was a good deal, as we were anxious to leave Time Warner but not ready to cut the cable cord yet. But for those who prefer watching TV using apps, the company just announced DIRECTV NOW, an app-based streaming service that includes live TV as well as on-demand shows. It could be a bargain and it just got better.

Thanks to everyone who entered the October iPhone Life Monthly Giveaway! Every month we give away amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the December giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winner is... (drum roll please):

In Episode 47, the iPhone Life team shares their findings after completing a month-long iPhone addiction experiment based off of recommendations from ex-Google design ethicist Tristan Harris. Other topics include iPhone 8 rumors, iPhone sales in India, and apps that help you keep in touch with friends.

The Black Friday 2016 ads are leaking already, some intentionally and some not so intentionally. If an Amazon Echo Dot is on your wishlist (and it should be) set your calendar as they will be discounted from $49.99 to $39.99 at Staples, online on Thanksgiving Thursday and in store on Black Friday. Keep in mind that the original Echo Dot was $89.99 just a few months ago. Now, at under $40, you can get one for every room in the house.

While Apple took a hiatus from offering Black Friday discounts in 2015, the company just posted a teaser that indicates shoppers should see some Black Friday 2016 deals on Apple products. The company has put up a simple web page that says "Friday can't come fast enough" and says to come back for its one-day shopping event. Ironically, it is true that Friday can't come fast enough, as many "Black Friday" sales will start on Thanksgiving Thursday.