According to Brightcove, App Cloud combines an open HTML5 Web development model with intelligent cloud services to accelerate app development, continuously optimize performance, measure effectiveness, and enable dynamic updates to installed apps.
“The App Cloud beta program has been very well received over the past few months, and we have been impressed by the quality, breadth and creativity of the apps developed by our beta users” said Ashley Streb, Vice President 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.”
Platform for Developers and Non-technical Producers
To build App Cloud experiences, developers use HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and the App Cloud software development kit (SDK) to create templates that reflect their brand and desired functionality.
• The App Cloud SDK includes convenient pre-built views and powerful JavaScript APIs for accessing native camera, alerts, accelerometer, and location capabilities.
• An Open Development Model accelerates development by enabling Web developers to use existing HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript skills, tools, and code libraries.
• Multi-App Templates balance efficiency and control by making it possible for non-technical business users to rapidly create branded apps.
• Visual App Creation Tools empower even non-technical team members to visually create, test and preview new apps based on custom templates.
• Cross Platform Cloud Compilation streamlines deployment by automatically generating app store-ready packages.
Intelligent Cloud Services
App Cloud supports the entire app lifecycle by offering intelligent cloud services that optimize the end user experience with live production apps and improve the efficiency of app maintenance long after initial development is complete.
• Dynamic Updates ease app maintenance headaches by empowering developers and business users 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 improves the consumer experience over limited bandwidth connections by continuously trimming, compressing, caching and synchronizing text content from feeds managed by App Cloud.
• Image Transcoding reduces download times and improves app stability by automatically resizing, down-sampling, and caching images in the cloud.
• Real-time Analytics 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.
• Mobile Advertising support allows customers to leverage built-in support for AdMob advertising or integrate ads from other ad servers through JavaScript components.
• Content Connectors provide connectivity to content stored in existing Web content management systems (CMS), blogs, photo-sharing services, and other systems that support open APIs.
• Brightcove Video Cloud Integration makes it easy to enrich apps with video managed by the leading online video platform, including support for pre-roll advertising and video-specific analytics.
• Graceful Deactivation informs the installed base of app users when an app or app version has become obsolete and prompts upgrades or other actions as appropriate.
More than 1,200 individual users have participated in the App Cloud beta testing program, says Brightcove. Several App Cloud-powered apps are currently available for download through the Apple iTunes App Store and the Google Android Market from customers including the U.S. Department of State and Lifetime Networks.
Pricing & Availability
App Cloud is available today in both a Free Edition and a paid Enterprise Edition. The non-expiring 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 enables teams of developers and business users to collaboratively develop, deploy and operate live apps in production at materially lower total lifecycle cost than conventional custom app development. Enterprise Edition subscriptions start at $15,000 and are discounted with the number of live deployed apps and accounts included. Special pricing is also available for agencies that develop apps for third party clients.
About Brightcove
Brightcove says: “Brightcove Inc., a leading global provider of cloud content services, provides a family of products used to publish and distribute the world’s professional digital media. The company’s products include Brightcove Video Cloud, a market-leading online video platform, and Brightcove App Cloud, a pioneering content app platform. More than 3,600 customers in over 50 countries rely on Video Cloud to build and operate media experiences across PCs, smartphones, tablets and connected TVs.”
