Last week we introduced you to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and BlackBerry® Tablet OS. The BlackBerry Tablet OS is based on technology by QNX® Software Systems, which is one of the most reliable, secure and robust operating system architectures in the world. If you are interested in learning more about the QNX® Neutrino® OS (you might be surprised where it is already being used today!), key features of BlackBerry Tablet OS and more, I invite you to check out this post on our sister site: an interview with Mike Kirkup (Director of Developer Relations at RIM) and Dan Dodge (Cofounder and CEO of QNX Software Systems).

Read more about the BlackBerry Tablet OS at the BlackBerry Developer’s Blog »

Think BlackBerry® DEVCON is only for developers? Then you may be thinking that BlackBerry DEVCON 2010 isn’t for you. Today, I’m hoping to convince you otherwise!

If your organization is looking to deploy mobile applications to your employees or wanting to use apps to better engage with your customers, then you should consider joining join us for this year’s conference (taking place September 27-30 in San Francisco), where you’ll be able to learn from – and network with – some of the industry’s brightest minds.

Apps are changing everything. If you’re a CIO, part of a leadership group or in charge of strategic development, you probably want to know everything you can about the latest developments and trends. DEVCON is where you can get an overview of the types of technologies available for BlackBerry® smartphones and why application development may be easier than you think.

In addition to the breakout sessions and panel discussions, BlackBerry DEVCON will provide business leaders with a quick understanding of the latest technology and industry trends. And, much like WES, this is a ‘hard-working’ conference – while I always have fun, these conferences turn a firehose of information on you, so be prepared to soak it in!

Here are themes/topics on this year’s program that will be relevant to business leaders:

• Super Apps: Leveraging the best of the BlackBerry platform, Super Apps offer the kind of seamless experiences that end users simply can’t live without. But what are these apps, who’s developing them, and how/why should you drive your development team in this direction?

• Mobility Pavilion: This perennial favorite showcases the organizations who are building interesting applications and creating compelling app experiences for their customers. There’s nothing like seeing these apps live to better understand how you might deploy these in your organization. Here’s a list of the sponsoring companies who will be at this year’s conference.

• Web Platform: Understanding what the BlackBerry® Web Platform ahs to offer and how it extends the value of your existing enterprise applications will be a critical business opportunity – especially since these apps can be successfully deployed from start to finish within days instead of months! This session is a good place to start learning – COM32: Create Powerful Enterprise-ready BlackBerry Widgets

• Payments and Monetization: As a business leader it’s important to have an understanding of the highly-anticipated Payment Service for BlackBerry smartphones, which can allow you to sell digital content and services from within your BlackBerry application and BlackBerry Widgets. This can drive new revenue and product opportunities in a simple, captive, uninterrupted user experience. This session is a good place to start learning: DEV51: Everything You Need to Know about the New Payment Service for BlackBerry Apps

BlackBerry DEVCON has proven to be a successful conference in the annual tech-industry calendar and is a valuable (and efficient) way for business managers to jump-start their mobile application business plan.

I’d love to hear your comments, or if you have any questions on how BlackBerry DEVCON benefits Business Leaders. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing many of you on site in San Francisco!

Make sure to register soon as DEVCON is right around the corner!