Sony Ericsson has followed Apple and launched a portable speaker system, this time for its Walkman music phone series. The 25W RMS rig - described by the manufacturer as "room filling" - has a pair of 5W stereo speakers backed by a 15W sub-woofer.

Boasting of the Cradle Audio CPF-MP001's "exceptional depth and quality" audio reproduction, Sony Ericsson said the device uses Sony's 32-bit S-Master Digital amplifier, as used in the consumer electronics giant's home theatre and in-car audio products. The upshot: power and clarity, the company claimed.

The unit ships with its own remote control. The CPF-MP001 connects to any Sony Ericsson music phone with a Fast Port connector, and will charge the handset's batteries while it's connected. It's got its own line-in connector, along with ports to connect 2.5mm earphone jacks for certain phones and to hook up a FM antenna for phones with built-in radios.

Sony Ericsson did not provide pricing details. ®