Since the launch of the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ platform, we’ve heard firsthand from developers that it’s a powerful development approach that is designed to make it easy to build web applications for BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Proving how important web development is for mobile devices, this year’s BlackBerry® DevCon Americas 2011 puts mobile web development in the spotlight. There’s an exciting range of sessions, labs, training and not-to-be missed learning opportunities for anyone involved in developing mobile web apps.

This year, we’re offering over 25 sessions and two labs that are all about mobilizing web content. Key sessions focus on:

• HTML developers reusing web assets for developing mobile apps (DEV 51)
• How BlackBerry is using its latest web technologies like the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ SDK, BlackBerry® WebKit™, Alice JS and Ripple on GitHub to design better apps (DEV56)
• Learn how to monetize your apps with BlackBerry Application Platform Services such as the BlackBerry® Payment Service and the BlackBerry® Advertising Service (DEV50)
• Meeting web industry leaders such as Assanka, Dojo, jQuery, PhoneGap, and Sencha.
• Discuss the future of mobile web applications and how frameworks such as the BlackBerry WebWorks Platform are positioned to help (DEV48) with a knowledgeable panel, including representatives from Assanka, Nitobi Software Inc. and uxebu Consulting Ltd. & Co. KG.

If you want to come away with skills you can put into action right away, sign up for a new training course, Develop for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Using BlackBerry WebWorks. This is a great way to speed up your learning curve. The course is offered on Monday, October 17 from 9 AM to 5 PM and costs $499 USD.

Mobile web developers have a lot to look forward to at this year’s BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011, including receiving a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with registration! This is your opportunity to kick start development for your next big application. Make sure you don’t miss out on this exciting offer – register for BlackBerry DevCon now.

Whether you’re looking for one more “practical” reason why you should attend BlackBerry® DEVCON 2010 or simply wondering how this year could top last year, the hands-on labs are exactly what you need. And this year they are better than ever!

Since its inception, one of the most compelling and popular parts of the conference has been the self-paced hands-on labs. We expect the lab area to be even more popular this year, and we work hard to ensure that you leave with a superior hands-on knowledge of our APIs and tools when you come out of these labs. And so for the first time, in addition to the self-paced labs, we will be hosting three instructor-led lab sessions. In these sessions, you will have the opportunity to apply some of our most advanced concepts in real time as you follow along with our lab instructors. We’ll even have additional lab experts standing by in case you get stuck!

Feel free to bring your own laptop to these sessions or use one of our ready-to-go lab machines. Whichever you decide, don’t wait to register as there is limited seating available for the following lab sessions:

DEV07: Unleashing the Profiler to Create More Efficient Applications

DEV45: BlackBerry Widget Bootcamp and Code-a-thon

Check out the Session Catalog for more details.

And if you think you’re ready to apply all you’ve learned to demonstrate your knowledge of BlackBerry app development, sign up for the onsite exams to become recognized as a BlackBerry Certified Application Developer. Exams are being offered at over half off the regular price during DEVCON, so take advantage of the opportunity while you’re at the conference. Learn more about certification here.

We hope to see you there!