Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is really getting into the “music-phone battle” with Apple, going as far as to open a flagship store on Regent Street in London in November, just steps from Apple’s store in London…the store is designed by the same firm that designed the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) stores. “Nokia and Apple have different brand images. Apple, of Cupertino, Calif., is the master at generating buzz. Its iPhone has drawn rave reviews, with its sleek looks, large touch screen and easy-to-use features. Nokia is heavy on technology but has a reputation for giving its phones bland names. The two new music phones are called the N95, an upgraded version of an existing model, and the N81. Its brand for music along with other services such as games is Ovi, the Finnish word for “door”” notes WSJ.

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Nokia claims the timing of its UK music push (at about the same time as Apple launches the iPhone in Britain) is “purely a coincidence”, which is probably true—Nokia has been planning this for a fair while. However, I’m sure the iPhone is providing a focus for Nokia, which definitely sees it as a strong competitor. Nokia also plans to tackle Apple by releasing multiple handsets that work with its music download service. Also, Nokia’s handsets will reportedly be cheaper, although the prices haven’t been released yet.