FAA may allow tablets, e-readers, and certain other electronics during takeoff and landing

The Federal Aviation Administration may be moving to allow the use of electronic reading devices during takeoff and landing, reports The New York Times. The administration may be set to relax the rules within the year for devices such as tablets and e-readers, allowing them to be switched into airplane mode rather than powered off; however the new rules would not cover cellphones. The FAA began studying the issue last year, and its findings will be announced by the end of July. An anonymous FAA official told The New York Times that the administration is under great pressure to either allow the devices or to provide a scientific explanation for why they cannot be used.