Until you have created a thorough product definition, we don't know. A paragraph or a phone call describing the app simply isn't enough for us to give you even a ballpark estimate.

When thoroughly defining an idea, sometimes additional effort will be uncovered that will bump up the cost of development significantly. It wouldn't be fair for us to tell you it will cost about $10,000, and then tell you later that it will really cost $50,000.

To start defining your application so that we can give you an estimate, please see our app definition guide.

It depends on the complexity of the idea. Typically anywhere from 2 to 10 written pages is sufficient.

It really is in your best interest to think about the idea thoroughly now before you invest much time and money on it. Your product definition should be sure to answer every relevant question in our app definition guide.

Okay, fair enough. Most iPhone projects will be in the range $10,000-$100,000. You will certainly find cheaper developers out there, but you will not find better. A top-selling app on the AppStore can make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. If your idea is worth developing, it is worth investing in an experienced, passionate iPhone developer who will do everything to make your app successful.

As with cost, we won't know until we can give you a price proposal. Most iPhone projects take 3-16 weeks.

We are very, very busy. However, we don't commit to too many projects at once, so usually we are available to start on a new project about 4-6 weeks from any given time. The faster you can develop a product definition, the sooner we can begin.

Almost all of our work is based on a fixed project price.

We believe that hourly work often creates a conflict of interest, not only with the length of the project but also the quality of work produced. As quality-obsessed developers, sometimes we need extra time to get your app perfect. We don't want to feel like we are wasting your money when it takes us several days to fix a challenging bug in your app.

The advantage to you is that you know up front what you are getting into. We assume the risk if the project takes longer than expected. And of course, when doing fixed-price work, it is in our best interest to get the application done as quickly as possible anyway.

Based on your product description, we prepare a proposal on the total cost of the project, and we work on it until you are satisfied that it is ready to launch. In order to give an estimate, we need to know in as much detail as possible what we are creating for you. Your assignment is to define your idea as clearly as possible.

We will occasionally discount a project in exchange for a share of revenue on AppStore sales. However, we can't work entirely on a revenue share basis.

We will be glad to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that contractually prevents us from disclosing your idea if it is not already public knowledge. That said, business relationships ultimately rely on some level of personal trust. An unscrupulous developer could still sign an NDA and steal your idea and disappear. Trust is built on open, honest communication. Feel free to call us and begin that dialog.

Yes, we have extensive experience developing server-side applications, both for mobile and standard web sites.

ZWorkbench has been providing mobile software consulting services since 2004. We have experience on a variety of platforms, and can certainly help you develop an idea for one of these platforms.

However, we will say that if your budget is limited, the iPhone platform is the way to go for now. Developing for other platforms is expensive due to the large number of different devices on those platforms. No other mobile platform offers such a large, unified, relatively open channel for delivering applications at this time.

We are currently investing our time and money on some of our own ideas, and our focus right now is squarely on the iPhone.