The rise of the app store continues with US technology company Qualcomm partnering with largest Chinese web portal SINA to launch the first market for its Brew Mobile Platform.

It will provide Chinese consumers with access to a full range of paid and free content, apps and services for download.

Brewing up a storm

The launch is part of the wider roll out of the open Brew application store, which is the final piece in Qualcomm's Brew MP reboot.

This sees the touchscreen and rich media technology targeted at low and mid-range smartphones, for both developed and developing countries.

Qualcomm now plans to offer its fully managed service to other regional mobile retailers, via a simple-to-use application store solution.

In terms of the Chinese store, SINA will host content delivery, merchandising, catalog management and the storefront, while Qualcomm and SINA will jointly encourage local developers to release culturally specific apps.

China in your hand

"Building a robust mobile ecosystem that provides a lucrative business upside for our developers is a key strategic driver for Qualcomm," said Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president and president of Qualcomm Internet Services.

"We look forward to working with SINA as they foster a strong local developer community that will create socially relevant content for the China market."

"SINA is committed to offering consumers a wide array of quality content and services, and mobile is an integral piece of our overall strategy," said Gaofei Wang, general manager of SINA Mobile.

"We are confident that working with Qualcomm will enable us to provide an exceptional mobile experience that best meets the needs of our end users."

You can find out more about Brew MP via its website.