Acer to buy Gateway?

Is Acer getting ready to buy Gateway? There's no official word from either company, but the Associated Press reports that shares in Gateway jumped today after analyst firm ThinkEquity released a report concluding that Acer was considering making an offer for the company. No clue how close they might be to actually making a bid (or even if they are actually planning to), but it wouldn't be shocking to see Gateway get scooped up (although they did reject a $450 million offer last year). The company has been struggling for years to carve out a niche in the shadow of larger PC makers like Dell and HP -- remember that chain of retail stores they opened and then quickly closed? -- and you could definitely see Acer buying them as a relatively easy way to gain marketshare in the US.