Brightcove Turns on App Cloud

Content provider Brightcove has made its App Cloud content platform for Apple iOS and Google Android apps generally available for developers. App Cloud leverages an HTML5 development model and is designed to help developers accelerate app creation. The beta of the program attracted more than 1,400 users.

“We have been impressed by the quality, breadth and creativity of the apps developed by our beta users,” said Ashley Streb, VP of technology at Brightcove. “Now, any organization can take advantage of App Cloud to easily build, deliver, and manage dynamic, custom content apps across multiple devices for a superior end user experience.”

According to Brightcove, the App Cloud platform can be used to create and manage content for a broad array of devices and supports the entire app lifecycle with features like over-the-air updates, content optimization, advertising support and real-time analytics. Developers can use HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and the App Cloud software development kit to create templates for app creation.

The platform’s Dynamic Update feature allows developers and users of the apps created on App Cloud to modify content feeds, app appearance and styling, advertising options and other settings on live production apps without re-submitting the app to the app stores or requiring consumers to upgrade to a new version. Content Optimization is designed to improve the consumer experience over limited bandwidth connections by continuously trimming, compressing, caching and synchronizing text content from feeds managed by App Cloud. The analytics functionality facilitates ongoing business optimization by tracking app installations, end user sessions, and usage time at the account level and app level across various time windows.

App Cloud is available in both a non-expiring free edition and a paid enterprise edition. The free edition allows a single user to develop and test an unlimited number of apps and is open for free self-service online registration. The enterprise edition lets teams of developers and business users collaboratively develop, deploy and operate live apps in production. Subscriptions start at $15,000 and are discounted with the number of live deployed apps and accounts included. Several App Cloud-powered apps are currently available for download through the Apple iTunes App Store and the Google Android Market from app creators such as the U.S. Department of State and Lifetime Networks.