*UPDATE* We accidentally gave you the roll-out dates for BIS 4.0! The real dates for BlackBerry Protect are:

• Version 1.0 Open Beta March 5th (North America / Latin America), March 19th (EMEA), April 2nd (Asia Pacific)

We have been hearing about the BlackBerry Protect feature for a very long time. We first broke the details about the project under the codename ‘BlackBerry Shield’ back in February 2010, and later revealed more of its features. There is currently beta testing for select users in Beta Zone, but an official roll-out has yet to be revealed. This has left a lot of user who couldn’t stand waiting to look for 3rd party alternatives. Luckily, we’ve been tipped on the roll-out dates for this free service, listed below:

• Asia Pacific: March 19^th, 2011
• Europe: April 1^st, 2011
• USA: April 16^th, 2011
• Canada/LATAM: May 7^th, 2011

So far, those who have been testing it, report it to function as well as any 3rd party application. Once BlackBerry Protect officially releases, will you be switching over to RIM’s free service?