If you're going to launch an online mobile app store into what's already a crowded market, you might as well claim to have the largest catalogue of all of them.

True or not, French start-up appcity's lists apps from across all the major smartphone marketplaces - iPhone, Android, Nokia, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile mopped up - represents another attempt to unify the app business, offering consumers a one-stop shop for their download needs, whatever the handset.

The site claims to have 225,000 apps on board - 183,452 iPhone apps, 8,751 Ovi apps, 28,611 Android apps, and 6,206 BlackBerry apps - with the portal initially catering for English and French consumers, but eventually set to serve up Spanish and Chinese versions by the end of the summer.

It also offers flexibility, with both advertising-supported and subscription-based models available. Said subscriptions will take the form of an unlimited monthly plan for both free and paid apps, although the price of which hasn't yet been revealed.

How such a model will worked with a closed marketplace like the App Store also remains to be seen. As it stands, clicking on any of the 180,000 listed iPhone apps simply redirects you to the App Store's web-preview.

A tale of one appcity

"The smartphone revolution has reached a tipping point where mobile apps will increasingly drive consumer, and business, adoption of emerging mobile platforms and devices, and appcity.com can deliver a true global store for the latest apps, from medical information and sports to business and entertainment," said founder and CEO Paul Amsellem.

"Just as mobile carriers evolved from minute-based pricing to monthly voice plans, we can see a trend toward unlimited app plans, and appcity.com will be the first global provider of multi-platform apps."

Indeed, it's likely appcity will be looking to link up to such carriers, with the firm revealing it plans to 'develop vertical mobile app stores for brands, media companies and mobile carriers and create a broader destination for app developers' – much like rival GetJar.

[source: mocoNews]