NOKIA has launched a bid to break Apple's stranglehold on music downloads - with a service that gives users unlimited FREE tracks.

The Finnish mobile phone maker unveiled its Comes With Music service last night which works with a range of its popular handsets.

Owners will get a year's worth of free tunes when they buy a new phone, which can be chosen from a library of millions of top digital tracks and downloaded direct to the device.

Andrew Harrison, UK CEO of The Carphone Warehouse, said: "We're delighted to be able to offer this revolutionary music service to our customers and anticipate demand to be exceptionally strong, especially in the run-up to Christmas.

"We believe this to be the best music offering available which completely breaks the mould of conventional online music purchases."

Stuart Miles, editor of tech site Pocket-Lint.co.uk, added: "Nokia has finally launched its alternative to the iTunes store with a different take.

"It will be interesting to see if people are ready for an all you can eat offering, especially when they have to pay for their phone rather than get a new one for free."

A Nokia spokesman said: "After one year, anything you have downloaded you can keep. It is really unlike anything else out there."

To coincide with the launch, the firm also debuted its Apple iPhone rival, nicknamed The Tube.

The touchscreen Nokia 5800 Express Music phone has enough memory to store 2000 songs and allows you to download directly from Nokia's online music stores using its internet connection.

But there's bad news for bus and train passengers - Nokia bosses say it has the loudest and most powerful stereo speakers available on a phone today.

It also has a better camera than the iPhone and will support Flash-based graphical content on websites when surfing in cyberspace.

And it boasts a menu bar on the screen that can hold pictures of four of your best friends or closest family enabling you to contact them with one finger press.

It will cost around £200 when released in the next few weeks.

A cheaper Comes With Music handset is out on October 16, exclusively at Carphone Warehouse, for £129.95 - about the same price as an Apple iPod.