Monster Arts Inc (APPZ)

[Raggedy Man]

Local companies grow app businesses




Iconosys

Founder: Wayne Irving, who worked in software development since the '90s, decided to start an app company in 2009. While most app developers focused at the time on Apple's handhelds, Irving took a different route with his Laguna Niguel-based company and built apps for Google's emerging Android platform.

Apps: Iconosys made Drive Reply, an app that tries to discourage texting. The app recognizes when a person is moving in a car and responds by silencing incoming calls and automatically replying with a text message.

More details: The company also has created numerous other apps, such as Trick or Tracker, an app that allow parents to follow their children as they collect candy on Halloween, and another called Kiss My Valentine that allows users to make a shopping list of Valentine's Day gifts and pre-program special messages to be sent on Feb. 14.

How the company makes money: Irving purchased a public deals company called Monster Offers, and is looking at ways to coordinate the Iconosys app catalog with the daily deals offered through Monster Offers.

How they work: Iconosys has about 20 employees between Monster Offers and Iconosys. Irving picked the office location based on the strength of the cell tower signals nearby – for testing purposes. The company also outsources software development to India, Indonesia and New Zealand.

Challenges: The company started with Android apps but later expanded to iPhone applications as customers requested the platform. Developing for two platforms initially was costly, but eventually Iconosys started to use more Web-based components in the apps that could be shared. Now much of the code that goes into an app can be re-used, saving the company time and money producing an app for both.

What's next: "There's still plenty of time to build killer apps," Irving said.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/app-414149-apps-company.html