Tablet computers are all the rage, particularly after Friday's release of Apple's iPad2. While the devices are a hot commodity - there's more to the story than fun games and computing on the go. Nearly half of all U.S. adults get at least some local news on their cell phone or tablet computer, a survey reveals.
But just 13 percent do so through the use of application, or app, said the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, which conducted the survey.
"Many news organizations are looking to mobile platforms, in particular mobile apps, to provide new ways to generate subscriber and advertising revenues in local markets," said Lee Rainie, director of The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. "The survey suggests there is a long way to go before that happens."
The survey found 42 percent of mobile device owners get weather updates from their devices while 37 percent access restaurant and other advertising information.
Tablet computers, such as Apple's iPad, are a quickly growing market and could further change the way people access news and weather, the survey found.
"Tablet penetration is growing so rapidly -- as quickly as any device we have seen to date -- it will be fascinating to see whether that changes whether people will pay for content online, but for now it hasn't happened," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The results were compiled from a telephone survey of 2,251 American adults 18 or older. The margin of error is 2 percentage points.
