As of today, JetBlue, Delta, and American have all received approval from the FAA to allow passengers to use handheld portable electronic devices throughout the flight.  Laptops will still need to be stowed during taxi, takeoff, and landing, but cell phones, e-readers, and similar handheld devices can be used at all times.  The only catch is that when the main cabin door is closed, the devices have to be switched into airplane mode.

It’ll be a bit tough for flight attendants to enforce the airplane mode requirement…if they see someone furiously thumbing away on their phone while taxiing, there’s a good chance that they’re probably texting, but I suppose they could also be typing up an email to be sent after landing.  I could definitely seeing the potential for some awkward confrontations, but hopefully there won’t be any major issues.

The other major airlines (United, Southwest, etc.) will probably announce their approval soon, but up to this point, JetBlue, Delta, and American are the only ones who have really been on the ball.