BlackBerry showcases the PlayBook during its Developers Day in Dubai

Last week, Research in Motion (RIM) hosted its first BlackBerry Developer Day event in the Middle East in the Art Sawa Gallery in Dubai, the event, which attracted an audience of 100 attendees, is a one day forum where developers and mobile applications enthusiasts meet with experts and industry insiders to learn about the latest news and opportunities in the world of smartphone and tablet applications.

Topics such as the BlackBerry Development Platform, BlackBerry Locate Service and the development of AIR applications for the BlackBerry Playbook were the main features of the event, in addition to the best practices developers can follow to add social context to their apps and the best ways to market and monetize these apps. During the event, app developers were encouraged to enter the app race for the new BlackBerry PlayBook, any apps that are qualified for the PlayBook and included in the BlackBerry App World storefront in time for its North American release, could win a free BlackBerry PlayBook, more details on BlackBerry’s app race can be found here.

During the event, RIM has showcased its highly anticipated tablet, the PlayBook, Product Management Director for the Middle East Mohammed Al-Mefleh briefed the media about the PlayBook and took reporters and journalists through a live demo of a prototype of the tablet, which is expected to be released in the US market in March/April of this year, with a worldwide release in the middle of the second quarter, and we hope that we will be among the first websites to review it in the region.

The PlayBook is a multi-tasking open-source 7-inch tablet that can pair with BlackBerry smartphones running on BlackBerry OS v5 or higher, in addition to being a fully-fledged tablet that can deliver functions offered by other tablets in the market.

When paired with a BlackBerry phone, the PlayBook functions as a screen that offers a scaled up BlackBerry experience, nothing gets stored on it to protect users privacy. As a tablet, the PlayBook can deliver full web browsing experience via its wifi connection, in addition to HD video capabilities and fast multi-tasking tablet experience powered by its 1Ghz Dual Core processor and 1GB memory. The PlayBook contains two cameras, a 3-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel rear one, in addition to a USB port.

In this part of the world, our wish list includes a PlayBook that supports Arabic and the ability to access BlackBerry’s App World through phones and tablets, which will probably will happen in the coming few months.

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