Website Tatbeeq.at, meaning "applications" in Arabic, launched in beta 5 days ago to offer the Arab World its first fully Arabic directory of smartphone applications.

As of now, the site offers reviews of 250 iPhone applications, with Android and Blackberry applications coming soon. It intends to add over 100 application reviews, written by a team of 12 editors, each week. While Tatbeeq.at is not Arabic-exclusive when it comes to apps, all reviews are in Arabic, and goal is to have over 50% of its listed applications be fully Arabic.

"Right now, the problem is that users don't have a place to go to look at expert opinions in Arabic when looking for useful apps," says founder Motea Alwan. "It's also an opportunity for developers in the region to have their apps reviewed on a central site."

In the next iteration, Alwan plans to give users the ability to write their own recommendations, and also plans to offer suggestions for apps users might like, based upon their browsing history.

In the future, the site will also offer the ability to subscribe to updates for categories of apps. For example, says Alwan, "a gaming fanatic will be able to sign up for games apps, and receive a newsletter with updates on the latest apps in gaming."

He also plans to deepen the social aspect of the site by allowing users to recommend apps to one another, create collections, and share them with each other.

Alwan has managed to build the app in Amman along with two developers and his team of editors in one month, after joining N2V Labs, N2V's idea-stage incubation vehicle that helps aspiring entrepreneurs take an idea to execution in three months. While he pitched to N2V initially with two different ideas, he developed the concept for Tatbeeq.at once he came on board. Consistent with N2V's other products lately, including online magazine site Mjalati, Tatbeeq.at focuses on creating original Arabic content.

"You cannot find copy-paste content on Tatbeeq.at," says Alwan. "We want to ensure uniqueness as we build the new home of smartphones users in the region."