Ericsson unveils plug-in FM radio for mobile phones at MTV press conference

Ericsson unveils plug-in FM radio for mobile phones at MTV press conference At the MTV Europe Music Awards' press conference in London, Ericsson 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. The HPR-08 is compatible with the following Ericsson GSM mobile phones: GF688, GF768, G788, GF788e, S868, SH888, I888 WORLD, A1018s/sc, A1028, R250s, T10s/sc, and T18s/sc. Ericsson is this year for the first time one of the sponsors of the MTV Europe Music Awards. Ericsson's marketing activities surrounding the event will be in line with the Ericsson brand campaign entitled, 'Make yourself heard'. Ericsson has always had the ambition to make it easier for people to communicate with each other. The parallel to MTV's Europe Music Awards is obvious; music is about strong personal expressions and 'Make yourself heard' is about empowering the individual to express themselves. The ceremony will be held in Dublin on November 11th 1999 and broadcasted live on MTV Europe. A campaign site with competitions, a "Rock-o-phone", web flyers and other related entertainment can be found on: http://www.ericsson.com/MTV Additional information about Ericsson mobile phones is available on the World Wide Web at http://mobile.ericsson.com Pictures of the new Ericsson Art-4 can be downloaded from: http://www.ericsson.com/pressroom/phli_pcoph.shtml Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Jan Ahrenbring, Vice President Marketing and Communications Ericsson Mobile Communications AB Phone: +46 70 590 9900 Bo Albertson, PR & Information Manager Ericsson Mobile Communications AB Phone: + 46 8 764 1388, +46 70 510 0992 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/04/19991004BIT00350/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/04/19991004BIT00350/bit0002.pdf