Not content with building its own smartphone, electronics manufacturer Acer is planning to develop its own App Store for when its first handset appears. Although the device will run the Windows Mobile operating system - meaning it can access Microsoft's app store - Acer appears to be planning on taking rival companies by the horns to battle it out for the mobile throne.

It has only been a week since Research in Motion revealed its own App World for the BlackBerry. At last month's Mobile World Congress, Nokia announced that it would be opening the Nokia Apps Store for Symbian mobile phones. Google, creator of the Android operating system, also hosts Android Market, the store for its own platform.

The app stores above share a common enemy, however - Apple's App Store for iPhone. After the immense popularity of Apple's venture into the world of free and paid apps, many companies have jumped on the bandwagon in an attempt to grab some of the revenue Apple is generating. However, it's strange that Acer should feel the need to create its own app store when Windows Mobile already has one from Microsoft. Other companies - like Nokia, RIM and Google - operate their own app stores as they have unique operating systems.

Acer's app store would be sharing the market with Microsoft, a move that's bound to see the computing giant become somewhat irate. In any case, many heads are turning in anticipation of the upcoming release of Acer's first venture into the world of mobile phone manufacturer.

The computer company has many fans of its laptop lines, so the condensing of features into mobile form could prove very successful.