Ericsson has unveiled a small FM radio which can be attached to a mobile phone. The new Ericsson HPR-08 lets you listen to FM radio through the earpieces between the calls. 

Incoming calls are channelled through both earpieces and the cord features a microphone to speak into. This innovative accessory is the first of its kind on the market. If you have ever been faced with the dilemma that you couldn't decide whether to bring your mobile phone or your portable FM-radio, then you will cherish Ericsson's latest offering, a plug-in FM radio for mobile phones. 

Sport events, music and news - now you can hear it all through the portable handsfree connected to your mobile phone. Just put the two earpieces in your ears, tune in the right channel and listen to music, news and sports. If you listen to the radio when you receive an incoming call, the sound from the radio will automatically be muted. 

"We recently announced the Chatboard™, a snap-on keyboard for mobile phones which lets consumers send SMS and e-mail messages, as well as editing a personal Internet page," says Jan Ahrenbring, Vice President Marketing and Communications at Ericsson Mobile Communications. "Both the Chatboard™ and the plug-in FM radio are innovative accessories that support our vision that mobile phones can be used for a lot more than just talking." 

Accessories for mobile phones have until now been chargers and the occasional portable handsfree. With the announcements of the Chatboard™, and now the plug-in FM radio HPR-08, Ericsson sets a new trend, where the accessory itself is a groovy gadget, which transforms the mobile phone into something else; a messaging device, or, as in this case, a portable FM radio. 

The Ericsson HPR-08 will be available starting in December. Today, there's no other phone manufacturer that can offer a similar product.