Saudi developers showcase apps on BlackBerry Q10

The new BlackBerry Q10, described as the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone to feature a "classic BlackBerry QWERTY Keyboard," was launched at an event in Riyadh.
The BlackBerry Q10 combines the power of the BlackBerry 10 platform with a large, re-engineered physical keyboard and stunning touchscreen display — the largest ever on a BlackBerry QWERTY smartphone.
It features a wider layout and larger sculpted keys. The BlackBerry Q10 gives customers an advanced hardware, communications and multimedia experience, along with long battery life.
"We have seen tremendous excitement for the launch of the BlackBerry Q10 in Saudi Arabia," Khaled Kefel, managing director of BlackBerry in Saudi Arabia, said, adding that around 56 percent of mobile phones sold in the Kingdom are smartphones.
"This innovative new smartphone brings together the best of what we have with the signature physical keyboard that BlackBerry customers want," he said.
Guests at the event were treated to a first-hand experience of the new smartphone, as well as demos of locally developed mobile applications.
Kingdom-based developers Froot Apps and Numu Multimedia showcased their applications on the BlackBerry Q10.
"With its intuitive interface and rich display, the BlackBerry Q10 provides users of the Ketabi eBook reader with an enriched experience. Having developed the first BlackBerry 10 eBook reader in Arabic, we are focused on creating locally relevant applications that will benefit from the potential of the BlackBerry 10 platform," said Ahmed Hamdan, CEO, Froot Apps.
Wael Al-Fayez, CEO of Numu Multimedia, said: "We are excited to be launching apps from Numu Multimedia on the BlackBerry Q10."
He said: "With apps for some of Saudi Arabia’s major publications, we are enabling customers to access and share the latest news from the Kingdom and across the world with their friends and family on the move."
The re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform offers a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience that continuously adapts to the needs of customers.
Every feature, every gesture, and every detail is designed to keep customers moving and includes advancements such as the ever present BlackBerry Hub, which brings all your conversations together in one easy to manage place that you can access at any time from any app with a simple "peek", so one is always only a swipe away from what matters to you. the boundaries of mobile experiences.
In December, Saudi-based Luxury Events and BlackBerry, signed an agreement in Riyadh that allowed them to tap into a wider market in the Kingdom.
Globally, BlackBerry has 79 million customers, many of them in the Middle East.