The digital age is entering the "post-PC world," according to new research from GlobalWebIndex (GWI) produced by Trendstream. PCs and laptops are being replaced by mobile handsets and tablets, as well as TV sets, as favorite go-to devices to access the Internet.

VivaKi's so-called Pool initiative on Monday unveiled tablets as its next "lane" -- or area of advertising research, with participants include ABC Television Network and Bank of America. This effort is intended to find a scalable engagement model for marketers to connect with consumers on tablet devices across video and print content.

Verizon Wireless plans to relaunch its V Cast Apps store next month, promising to improve the experience for both consumers and developers, according to a Computerworld report Thursday. The question is, why bother? Verizon launched the V Cast Apps store last September as a would-be competitor to Google's Android Market. Verizon and Google have partnered closely on selling Android phones to their mutual benefit.

With the federal government focusing on Android as part of its antitrust investigation of Google, one thing's for sure: It's going to be harder than ever for the tech giant to argue its mobile operating system is still an emerging player in the smartphone market.

That didn't take long. Facebook Messenger has already hit No. 1 in Apple's ranking of top free apps, just a day (mere hours?) after the social networking powerhouse rolled out the app. Then again, Facebook could launch a test pattern app and it would jump to the top of the App Store charts based on curiosity and the size of Facebook's user base.

If things weren't tough enough for Research in Motion already, a report today says Apple is planning to open a new retail store in RIM's hometown of Waterloo, Ontario this Saturday. Ouch. What's next? A Googleplex next door to the BlackBerry-maker's headquarters?

Wireless industry and mobile-related stocks were hardly immune to the massive sell-off that saw the Dow plunge 635 points, or 5.6%, on Monday. Among the major U.S. wireless operators, Sprint appeared to be hardest hit by the stock slide following the first-ever downgrade of the federal government's credit rating last Friday by Standard & Poor's. The carrier's stock plummeted 15% to just over $3 on Monday, compared to a slump of 5.5% for Verizon and AT&T's downward slide of 1.5%.

LinkedIn cleared a big hurdle Thursday when it reported strong results in its first quarterly earnings report as a publicly traded company. During the company's conference call, CEO Jeff Weiner called out mobile as a focus of future investment. With weekly page views on handsets up more than 400% in the last year, mobile is LinkedIn's fastest-growing consumer service, said Weiner. Later in the year, the company plans to update its "most popular" mobile apps and introduce new mobile services

Predictions on smartphone sales have been bullish for some time as people all around the world increasingly upgrade from feature phones to iPhones, Android devices or other high-end models. Still, given the weakening economy and the trouble hitting the prepaid phone market, you have to wonder if the smartphone boom won't feel the chill at some point.

When it comes to cell phone security, Android owners are the Alfred E. Neuman of smartphone owners, according to a new study. A Retrevo survey found four in 10 (39%) of Android users haven't done anything to prevent someone from misusing data on their cell phone if it were lost or stolen. That compares to 30% of BlackBerry owners and 26% of iPhone owners.