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Most people in the U.S. still get their news from TV despite more than a decade-long surge in online news consumption, according to a new report (pdf) from the Pew Research Center. And despite the "explosion in cell phone ownership since the mid-90s," mobile hasn't had much of an impact on the public's news consumption. Relatively few of those surveyed get their news using a mobile phone. Smartphone owners are the one standout group in the pack: 37 percent of them get news from mobile. Only 4 percent of cell phone owners get news on their phone and just 8 percent say they watch or listen to news podcasts on iPods and other MP3 players. The smartphone crowd: The report said "while the demographic profile of cell phone users has come to more closely resemble that of the general public, smartphone use remains dominated by the highly educated and well off." At least 37% of those surveyed with family incomes of more than $150,000 said they have smartphone and fewer than half as many making a lower income own such a device. At least 25% of all college graduates own a smartphone while only 11 percent of high school graduates own one. (Chart is below, click to enlarge) Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .

NBC Universal ( NYSE: GE ) execs claimed to have been "stunned" by the level of mobile adoption by users turning to their mobile phones to check out its summer Olympics coverage. Speaking on a conference call from Beijing, Alan Wurtzel, president of Research, NBCU, offered some insights from the first set of data being released from its cross-platform "total audience measurement index," or TAMi system. NBCU unveiled the measurement system last month. TAMi culls measurements from Nielsen Media Research and other audience trackers like Omniture and Rentrak. The network hopes to prove the value of its cross-platform audience reach with more precise measurements to influence sales for the 2012 games. -- Mobile Adoption: will it last? : Wurtzel described himself as "stunned" by the adoption of mobile usage over the past few days. At the opening of the games on Friday, the network's mobile Olympics WAP site attracted 210,000 uniques. The next night, it doubled, rising to 424,000 and then up to 476,000 by Monday. "These Olympics are influencing how people are using new technology. Half of the people viewing on mobile are using it for the first time . After the Olympics, it will be interesting if these habits become part of their behavior." More details from the call on our sister site, paidContent . Related NBC Claims Audience Measurement Gold With TAMi; Online Uniques Go From 4.2 Million To 7.8 Million Interview: Perkins Miller, SVP-Digital Media, NBC Sports & Olympics: 'Taking A Big Leap' NBC's Ad Olympics: Reaching For Audience Measurement Gold Check out the best business jobs in digital media. Go here for paidContent.org Job Board.

A trio of new research reports detail the dramatic and swift rise of mobile in terms of subscription growth, mobile web usage and mobile payments for goods downloaded to mobile phones. On Pace For 5.2 Billion Mobile Subscribers By 2011 Last year there were three times as many people using mobile phones than land lines worldwide (3.3 billion and 1.1 billion respectively), according to Infonetics Research. Mobile subscriptions jumped 31 percent year-over-year while land line subscriptions declined 5 percent in the same period. Latin America and the Caribbean are the only regions where land lines are expected to grow. Strong growth, no surprise, is expected to be primarily driven by voice services in Brazil, Russia, India and China – countries where double-digit GSM subscriber growth rates are common, the firm concluded. Based on the current rate of growth, it predicts there will be 5.2 billion mobile subscribers by 2011, at which time there will also be one wireless broadband subscriber for every four wireline broadband subscribers. ( Release ). 1.7 Mobile Web Users By 2013 The number of subscribers using the internet on their mobile phones is expect to nearly triple from 577 million today to more than 1.7 billion by 2013, according to a new report from Juniper Research. Social networking, user-generated content, instant messaging, location-based services and search and discovery are all driving a more open environment where users can share, collaborate and exploit content free from carrier restrictions, the firm wrote. Asia is expected to be the largest market for mobile web where almost 416 million users are anticipated to be surfing the internet on mobile phones in five years. Currently, 190 million users are accessing the mobile web there in those regions. Juniper Research predicts South America holds the "greatest untapped potential for mobile web" because of relatively low wireline broadband penetration in those countries. ( Release ). 2.1 Billion Mobile...

This year, worldwide sales of mobile phones will reach 1.28 billion units in 2008, a 11 percent increase compared to the 1.15 billion units sold last year, according to a report released today by Gartner . It said that in the first quarter sales totaled 294.3 million, and sales in the second quarter are expected to hit up to 305 million units. Although sales may be affected by the poor economy, Gartner said Q4 could make up for it all with new products expecting to hit the market in time for the holiday season. Other findings from the report: -- Numbers by region: Some regions may experience a decline in 2008 sales with mobile phone sales relying on emerging markets as mature regions, such as Western Europe, Japan and North America reach saturation. Asia/Pacific sales are expected to hit 472.5 million units in 2008, a 17.9 percent increase from 2007; Western Europe projects to reach 188 million units, a 1.5 percent decline; North America expects totals of 185.7 million in 2008, a 5.3 percent increase; and Japan is estimated to reach 47.7 million units, a 9.1 percent decrease. -- Consumer electronic companies participate: One trend Gartner is seeing is differentiation with more consumer electronics companies entering the market. The two big examples is Apple ( NSDQ: AAPL ) and Garmin. -- Device vendors build out ecosystems: Another trend Gartner is seeing is that established handset makers, like Nokia ( NYSE: NOK ) and Sony ( NYSE: SNE ) Ericsson ( NSDQ: ERIC ) are building out content services in order to increase revenues. Nokia has Ovi and Sony Ericsson has PlayNow. Another example is Apple's iTunes. As part of this, applications relevant to enterprises, such as location and navigation, will become available directly from device vendors that are integrating GPS into products. -- Removing complexity and lifestyle statements: Simpler user interface and service experiences are big, with mobile device companies spending a lot of time creating easy-to-use, and yet familiar...

A report from Strategy Analytics shows that 297 million mobile phones were shipped worldwide in the second quarter of 2008, and increase of 15 percent year-on-year. This is higher than at any time in 2007, and is due to strong growth in emerging markets. The news was mixed for most large handset vendors—even Motorola ( NYSE: MOT ) sales fell less than expected—with good and bad parts of the results. The top five going down: Nokia: Nokia ( NYSE: NOK ) shipped 122 million handsets last quarter, up from 100.8 million handsets for the same time last year. This saw its marketshare increase to 41.1 percent, up from 38.9 percent a year ago. The bad news is that revenue, profit margin and ASP were all down year-on-year due partly to unfavorable exchange rates, but also to surging low-tier shipments and a sharp decline in Nokia's share of the smartphone market. Samsung: Samsung shipped 45.7 million handsets compared to 37.4 million in Q207. Its marketshare was 15.4 percent, compared to 14.4 percent a year ago. This (a 22 percent increase in unit sales) was Samsung's slowest growth rate for nearly two years, which Strategy Analytics puts down to an unimpressive entry-tier GSM handset portfolio and its limited retail presence in Africa, India and Asia. It's missing out on the growth of the low-end market, but admittedly it's not the most profitable segment on a per-unit basis. Motorola: Motorola sold 28.1 million handsets, down from 35.5 million a year ago. Its marketshare was 9.5 percent, down from 13.7 percent a year ago. And now the good news… Motorola sales didn't fall as far as expected, allowing it to cling grimly to the third place ranking. Its decline in sales was at its slowest rate since the beginning of last year. It also managed to scrape in a $4 million profit for the business, and while this equates to zero cents per share making a small profit is a lot better than making a loss. Strategy Analytics sees these results as representing tentative signs...

Motorola ( NYSE: MOT ) has lost more marketshare this quarter according to analysts, slipping to fourth place six months earlier than expected. Motorola releases its figures tomorrow, but an average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg found that sales may have fallen 26 percent to 26.1 million handsets in the last quarter, which would put it behind LG (SEO: 066570) which shipped 27.7 million handsets in the quarter. Even Sony ( NYSE: SNE ) Ericsson ( NSDQ: ERIC ), which saw sales divebomb this quarter , is described as "closing in" on Motorola, having shipped 24.4 million handsets last quarter. Samsung shipped 45.7 million and Nokia ( NYSE: NOK ) shipped 122 million. More concerning is the verdict of Raimundo Archibold, an analyst at Kaufman Brothers LP in New York, who opines that Motorola won't be able to sell the business until it is profitable or in "the state of being mended". "If the handset unit hasn't returned to profit a year from now, Motorola will have to consider cutting its losses and closing the business , Archibold said. He recommends buying the stock, saying it's worth $10 without the phone division. He owns the shares." The general opinion is that at some point Motorola will get its act together and fix its handset business, so that even if it doesn't regain its top-tier position it will at least be a significant manufacturer in the top 5. Now there's the suggestion that it may just disappear? Related Moto's Marketshare Went To Incumbent Handset Vendors, Not New Entrants: Report Earnings: Premium Handsets Boost LG Electronics Profits Updated: Earnings: Sony Ericsson Breaks Even; Profit Plummets 97 Percent; 2,000 Job cuts Check out the best business jobs in digital media. Go here for paidContent.org Job Board.