So how will did Nokia's Comes With Music project do over the festive period? While exact numbers haven't been released by Nokia (or The Carphone Warehouse, who were distributing the phones with the service), an interview in The Financial Times quotes someone familiar with the sales being "OK, but not earth-shattering."

The interview was primarily with Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasuvuo, who sees the growth of this and other Nokia software services during the rest of the year as being one of the key factors that will help Nokia during the upcoming recession. As people look to spend less on their mobile devices, they will look to phones in the mid and low range of the market.

Nokia's advantage in having a large range of devices in their portfolio means they have many options available to customers, and with their focus on software services, they can provide a lot more than just a phone to people who buy these devices.

Of course this could all be moot if networks heavily subsidise handsets so customers both stay with them but also keep racking up the bill and generate a high ARPU so the networks can get through the crunch; but it is smart thinking. What do you all think? Is this the right way for Nokia to present itself during 2009?

More at The FT, via MoCoNews.