Hewlett-Packard Co., one of several computer companies pushing into the consumer electronics market, plans to launch an HP-branded online music store in the first quarter, most likely at a January trade show, an HP executive said.

The music service will be run in conjunction with an existing service like Musicmatch.com and compete with music stores from Apple Computer Inc. and Dell Inc. , HPShopping.com chief executive officer Peter Appl said in an interview Tuesday.

Following the planned launch of the service at the Consumer Electronics Show, HP expects to unveil a digital music player, Appl said. Appl said the company had not yet decided the exact design of the product, adding that HP wants to be sure to set its digital music player apart from competitors.

News source: CNN