AppsArabia, the mobile application fund backed by Abu Dhabi's twofour54, is hoping it will land a triple word score to make its first app a winner in the region's video gamers.
The fund's first app will be called Kalimat, or "word" in Arabic, a Scrabble-like iPhone game that can be played in both Arabic and English.
AppsArabia was founded earlier this year to improve the amount of mobile applications for the Arab world under the auspices of twofour54 ibtikar, the business incubation arm of Abu Dhabi's media zone.
AppsArabia developed the Kalimat game with Fares Fayad, a Dubai-based entrepreneur who successfully pitched the fund his idea, and Piranha Byte, a software firm based in Dubai Silicon Oasis who programmed the application.
Kalimat is scheduled to be available on Apple's iTunes App Store next month, pending approval, and will be sold for $1.99 (Dh7.3). It allows gamers to play words using a seven-letter tile rack similar to Scrabble but with variations on game play and the point system.
David Ashford, the general manager of AppsArabia, hopes the game will sell 50,000 copies over the next six months to help recoup its investment and help generate a revenue stream for the developer.
"It's Scrabble with a difference," said Mr Ashford. "We are also doing a feasibility study about migrating it for Nokia and BlackBerry devices. Our marketing will focus on the MENA region but we will be extended that to the global audience because it has appeal to Arabic speakers around the world."
dgeorgecosh@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
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- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
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The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia