Carphone Warehouse is offering a music download service as an adjunct to its MyMobileLife website.

MyMobileMusic is managed by Virgin Digital and based on Microsoft DRM, so only Windows users need apply, and there's no iPod compatibility (though, intriguingly, it claims to be "working on it" in the FAQ). Tracks come in at 79 pence each, with albums properly discounted and competitive.

The interface is nice - very WEB 2.0, with drag-and-drop interactivity, which adds little functionality but looks good.

It may seem a strange time to launch a branded music service, where companies such as Coke have failed to make a significant impact, but Carphone clearly believes it needs to be in the content-provisioning business.

You would think launching an iPod-excluding service would belie rumours of Carphone taking the Apple iPhone later this year, but any such decision would probably be taken by a distinctly different part of the business so not too much should be read into that. ®