The device is shaped like a circle and has two earbuds that can be detached from each other and used for both listening to music and hearing voice calls.

The device, which is appropriately shaped like a circle when its earbuds are connected, acts as both a wireless stereo headphone and a communication device that sits around the user's neck. According to Samsung, the Gear Circle works with any Bluetooth-enabled device.

At first blush, one might be forgiven for failing to understand exactly what the Gear Circle does, since it merely looks like an electronic necklace. However, the earbuds at the center are detachable and can be used to listen to music or act as earpieces for phone call conversations. There's also a built-in mic for those who want to receive and place calls from the device. And since it supports Bluetooth, the Gear Circle will not need to physically connect to a device to listen to tracks or place calls.

In order to alert users to a call, the Gear Circle vibrates. According to Samsung, it can handle 9 hours of music playback and 11 hours of talk time on a single charge. It also supports the company's S Voice text-to-speech service.

The Gear Circle comes in black and blue models. A white version will be available exclusively at Best Buy. The device is currently available in "select" T-Mobile stores. It will be available later this month at AT&T, Samsung.com and Amazon.com. Samsung had not yet released a price point.

Samsung declined to provide further comment on the announcement.