Acer has committed to including NFC technology in all its future Android smartphones. The Taiwanese vendor made the statement as part of the launch of its new Liquid Express (pictured) device, which runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

"The Acer Liquid Express marks the start of the implementation of NFC technology as standard in Acer smartphones," said the company. "From this model, all the company's Android smartphones will be equipped with this technology of the future."

Although Acer is only a minor player in the smartphone space, its strategy helps give further strength to the commercial potential of NFC technology. No other mobile phone vendor has publicly committed to such plans. In fact, the number of NFC-compatible devices available at present is holding back development of NFC services. Nokia claims to be the market leader, with seven NFC handsets on offer.