Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) will be announcing an upcoming tablet device next week at a developer's conference in San Francisco, said people familiar with the company's plans, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. According to PC World, industry expects Jack Gould and Gartner Research's Carolina Milanesi both outlined that the tech firm should back away from the consumer market and instead focus on enterprises, adding that security and productivity should be of greater concern than consumption and entertainment.

"If you're a smartphone vendor today the natural way to continue to growing your business would be to introduce a tablet," said Tech Analyst Tim Bajarin from Creative Strategies, USA Today reported. "In that context I believe it's quite necessary for RIM to deliver (one) as a competitor to Apple, and for that matter Microsoft."

The Washington Post plans to launch its iPad app "in the coming weeks," following The New York Times' and Wall Street Journal's efforts on the Apple device, The Upshot reported.

"Mobile continues to be a key distribution platform for our content, utility for our readers, and, a core enabler of our growing digital business," Ken Babby, chief revenue officer and general manager for Washington Post Digital stated in a staff e-mail Wednesday.

Photo: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

"The usage of the Post's iPhone app continues to accelerate," Babby added. He also announced the new mobile leadership team, including former AOL executive Beth Jacobs as general manager for mobile, as well as the Post's Neil Quinn as director for mobile commercial products.

There is no firm date yet on the iPad app release but it's expected some time in the fall, according to a Post spokeswoman, The Upshot reported.

In the United Kingdom, the average person spends 45 percent of their waking hours watching television, listening to the radio, or using mobile phones, computers or other gadgets, media regulator Ofcom has found in its first study to track how long consumers spend with various media. Increasing use of both smartphones and social networking sites are partly responsible for the high number, Telegraph.co.uk reported today.

For example, two years ago 5.7 million people said they accessed the Internet on their mobile phone, while 13.5 million people said so this year, Ofcom's annual Communications Market Report found. The most popular mobile site was Facebook, at 45 percent; Google came in with 8 percent.

Image: Micht Licht, NotionsCapital.com's flickr photostream

But consumers aren't spending all their time with new media and new digital devices. Traditional media, especially television, are still a "central part" of everyday life, the Telegraph explained. However, multitasking is also increasing, with a growing number of people saying that watch TV or listen to the radio while using the Internet.

The London Evening Standard today announced the availability of its mobile phone news application in association with mobile apps developer and distributor Handmark, a press release posted on BusinessWire.com announced today.

As newspapers continue to go behind paywalls, the move by the London free daily is aimed at bringing back its lost readership and increasing its subscriptions, by making the news app available on Java and Windows Mobile-compatible versions, ITProPortal.com reported.

The mobile news application is sponsored by British Airways London City service, and can be downloaded for free across a wide range of mobile platforms that include iPhone, Nokia S60, BlackBerry and Google Android smartphones, MediaWeek.co.uk reported.

"We are excited to introduce our new mobile application so our readers can now enjoy the convenience of having instant access to our trusted news and information on the go," Tim Smith, General Manager Digital of the London Evening Standard stated in the press release. "The mobile application provides an extremely intuitive, personalized experience and supports a great sharing experience."