Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research recently organised free training for the third Mobile Application Contest (MAC 2008).

The training, which included two-day workshop on mobile phones application development, was held at Khalifa University – Sharjah campus, the organisers said in a statement.

The workshops come as a preparation for the 3rd Mobile Application Contest which will take place on May 10, 2008, under the patronage and sponsorships of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Etisalat Corporation, and organised by the Computer Engineering Departments at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research and at the American University in Dubai.

“This training session provides an excellent opportunity for students to enhance their computing and mobile programming skills, which will guide them to develop good quality projects for the Contest”. He further said: “This will also enable developing mobile phone applications that meet the growing demands of business and individual mobile phone users in the region,” said Khalifa University’s Computer Engineering Department head Professor Hassan Barada.

Dr Wael Bazzi, assistant professor at the Computer Engineering Department at American University in Dubai and member of the MAC2008 steering committee said: “Close interaction with training participants and monitoring of their acquired skills indicate that the intended objectives of the training session have been very well met. The training program worked as a major stepping stone toward achieving competitive projects for the contest”.
The group of participants expressed their happiness for participating in such a competitive event where they gained great experience through the training offered.

Mohammed Al Ali, a student at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research and contest participant said: “My participation in this competition is to enhance my academic studies and I found that this training proved most valuable as it provided me with valuable information in mobile application programming. I intend to present a project of a mobile Muslim companion that can guide a Muslim to accomplish his daily duties. I hope I win this competition for the most innovative and environmental friendly project.”

Latifa Khaled Al Khouri, participant from Higher Colleges of Technology – Al Ain Women’s College, said: “Participating in this competition is a rare opportunity for students with the latest techniques in mobile application programming. I hope that the special project I will present will help me win the competition.”

The deadline for submitting the mobile application projects for the competition is May 3, 2008. These projects will be presented to the judging committee, which consists of professional working in the area, for choosing the best project.

The judges decisions will be based on quality, applicability to the UAE, Islamic and Arabic culture, usability, and support for multiple devices, the organisers said. – TradeArabia News Service