Probably one of the biggest advantages the iPhone has over rival smartphones is the iTunes App Store. Rivals such as Google and Palm both have their app stores but currently aren’t in the same league as the iTunes App Store.

Well according to an article on daily tech, Microsoft is the latest challenger to the iPhone applications dominance market as they have now rolled out their Windows Live Marketplace, their new app store for Windows Mobile 6.5 mobile phones.

Word is the Windows Live Marketplace currently has 40 apps available, a long way from Apple’s 75,000, and the Marketplace can be accessed via Windows Live ID and apps can be purchased by credit card.