There seems to be application marketplace options popping up all over the place, mostly looking to deviate (or at least try to) from the mainstream app stores of Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market. Aside from trying to be the next cool app store model or design, I think it's a great way for new, small-time developers to get a start. One place that may be worth looking is appbackr. Launched this week in beta, appbackr is a wholesale marketplace for iPhone and iPad applications.

Since a lot of new developers usually don't have the funds to promote or market their apps (or could be having a tough time getting into the sea of 300,000 apps in the App Store) this may be worth a look-see.

Following a traditional wholesale model, "developers agree to sell a certain number of units to wholesale buyers at a discount. Wholesale buyers purchase those units in bulk and profit when the app sells through iTunes. Developers get the cash to support their app, and a 'backr' with a vested interest in promoting their iPhone or iPad application. Wholesalers get involved in the promotion of emerging apps, and earn 27 to 54 percent return once the app sells at the retail value," wrote Sarah Cornwell of appbackr in a blog.

As this may be one way to get into the iOS application ecosystem, there are other avenues to check out. One mentioned in my previous blog is Mozilla's proposed system for open Web apps. This design could lead to some real interoperability across a number of different app stores, although you can more than likely count Apple and Google out of this one.