Do you grab your phone to find out the latest news? If so, you're not alone. According to a new study by comScore, Inc., in January 2009, 22.3 million people accessed news and information via their mobile devices, up from 10.8 million people a year ago.

With a whopping  107% increase in only one year, it's clear that there's been a significant shift in the way we fill our heads with content. Not only do we want quick and easy information, but we also want it the quickest and easiest way we can find it; this "one touch for information" movement is growing like wildfire.

For many of us, our phone is no longer just a telecommunications device. Instead, it's a multipurpose tool that we use for news and information... as well as social networking and blogging. Considering the recent launches of the next generation of smartphones and feature phones like the Blackberry Curve and Apple iPhone, we treat our phones like an extension of our home computers.

Today's phones can also bring you music, bowling games and househunting tools, and much of this entertainment comes from the 30,000+ applications currently available in the iTunes store (for use with iPod Touches and iPhones). 

As of today, the iTunes store isn't the only game in town. At long last, Blackberry App World is here! (No, this isn't an April Fool's joke.)

And interestingly, the BAW's pre-release buzz included attempts to "court Apple developers" with incentives like higher profit margins... which are possible because the minimum price for a paid app in Blackberry App World will be $2.99. A gutsy move considering that most apps in the iTunes store sell for less than $1. 

With Blackberry-friendly apps coming into the mix, development teams around the world are ramping up to satisfy the demand for this brave new world... so make sure you don't get left behind!