HotCloud, MacroSolve link on apps

App developer MacroSolve has linked with mobile device supplier HotCloud Mobile on a licensing deal for mobile app development.

The deal involves a patent owned by MacroSolve that addresses mobile information collection systems across all wireless networks, smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, regardless of carrier and manufacturer. HotCloud is one of the first vendors of mobile applications to license the patent and will use to target celebrities, musicians and others interested in private-labeled mobile applications, according to HotCloud.

“MacroSolve’s patent marks a fundamental shift in the mobility market, making app development so easy and cost-effective that all small businesses can afford to leverage them,” said Clint Parr, president and CEO of MacroSolve. “The cooperation of HotCloud and MacroSolve gives us access to an expanding customer base of 500,000 potential mobile apps users that want to be hyper-connected to the company or organization that is most relevant to them, be it a celebrity, musician employer, school, club, faith-based organization or a favorite restaurant or store.”

MacroSolve’s ReFormXT platform, based on the company’s patent, lets users create and manage their own customized business or personal mobile apps, Parr said. Licensing the ReForm XT platform is one element of MacroSolve’s growth strategy, he said. “The goal is to target vertical markets with the distribution channels to quickly ramp up sales of mobile business apps, thus increasing revenues while decreasing sales and marketing costs,” Parr said.

HotCloud, which has a customer base of roughly 400,000, also considers the use of the platform a core strategy for growth. “The mobile apps market is set to grow tremendously over the next few years,” said David Bleeden, CEO of HotCloud. “We feel this is a natural fit with our other lines of business, which includes selling unlocked handsets, value-added products and accessories and handset insurance.”