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Introducing pinch/zoom: A New Kind of Agency for a Mobile World

A Collective of Mobile Design and Development Experts Join Forces to Bring the Next Generation of Mobile Apps to Life

The rapid proliferation of apps for the iPhone is one of the few bright spots in technology these days. However, few companies understand the unique challenges of developing applications for these devices -- and how to do it efficiently across platforms. Today, a new collective based in Seattle called pinch/zoom was launched to build and deliver a new breed of mobile applications where form and function converge. Founded by Brian Fling, a renowned expert in mobile design and author of the forthcoming O'Reilly book Mobile Design & Development (released Summer 2009), pinch/zoom is a collaboration between mobile design and development experts who have a passion for creating new and useful mobile and web applications.

"Developing a compelling application and delivering it across multiple device platforms can be a frustrating and expensive endeavor as the cost of the average iPhone app can run as high as thirty thousand dollars," said Brian Fling, founder and president of pinch/zoom. "Since the typical lifespan of an iPhone app is less than 30 days, it's critical to have a plan in place to maximize the exposure of your app to ensure profitability. We started pinch/zoom to provide entrepreneurs, big brands and everyone in between with a cost-effective way to not just develop compelling applications but ensure that the right strategy is in place to get them in front of consumers."

The pinch/zoom collective features experts from a wide array of disciplines including user interface design, information architecture, web and mobile design, project management, and online strategies. Using agile methodologies to create a lasting roadmap for a truly user-centric product experience, pinch/zoom is dedicated to creating powerful applications that are specifically tailored to the user-experience, whether it's their mobile device or a standard Web browser. pinch/zoom has already collaborated on several mobile applications, including SmartyPig (an iPhone application that helps users achieve personal savings goals), Ego (an iPhone application to track personal statistics across the web), Cheep (a free Twitter app that works on multiple devices), and Leaflets (small mobile web-apps TechCrunch called a "must have iPhone app.")

"We chose to work with pinch/zoom because few agencies have such a well rounded understanding of how consumers want to interact with applications," said Michael Ferrari, co-founder and COO, of SmartyPig, a leader in the social banking space. "In just a short time, pinch/zoom was able to take our business requirements and translate them into a highly usable and fun iPhone application that will enable our customers to take the SmartyPig experience with them wherever they may be."

About pinch/zoom

pinch/zoom is an interactive collective focused on building the next generation of mobile and web applications. The company was founded by Brian Fling and Garrett Murray and works with developer and design experts from across the globe. More information about pinch/zoom can be found at http://www.pinchzoom.com.