The days of opening a newspaper (though we appreciate it) to look for a movie's showtime, or spending time on the phone listening to a recording are slowly fading away, quickly being replaced with a few quick thumb-clicks on a smartphone.

Interested in viewing “The Hangover Part II” this weekend? Maybe taking the family to “Kung Fu Panda II?”

Flip on your iPhone and navigate to the Sierra Cinemas website (www.sierracinemas.com), which is specially adapted to read mobile devices and redirects users automatically to the slimmed-down version of its full website.

The specially written software, which the three-theater chain purchased and implemented in 2010, allows you to quickly and simply scroll between its theaters to see what is playing and when.

“Our idea was to get out there, to have a presence on the mobile web and see where it goes,” said Michael LaMarca, who handles some of the company's web ventures.

Sierra Cinemas is one of a handful of local businesses and organizations creating mobile-friendly websites and applications, a growing trend as more and more people adopt smartphone and mobile technology as a prime source of information gathering. Businesses are cautiously asking about the usefulness of such sites, said Carol White, owner of the Nevada City website design firm Winter Street Design Group.

“Typically the mobile site will have a simplified menu, with easy to click icons to direct you to the most visited sections on the site, and the content will be delivered in a list view with minimal graphics,” she said. “For businesses thinking about going mobile, a mobile site is a good place to start. A mobile site can be set up more quickly than a mobile app can be developed, and changes to the mobile site can be made easily.

“A mobile site can be designed to be compatible on many different devices, whereas an app has be developed for a specific device. You might develop an iPhone app, but not all your customers will have iPhones. The app also requires your customers to take the extra step of downloading your app onto their device before they can access your mobile content.”

A number of Winter Street's clients have inquired about developing mobile sites, and both the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and Wild and Scenic Film Festival report anywhere from 5-10 percent of users browse their sites using mobile devices, White said.

Last year, the Nevada City Film Festival created an iPhone app for visitors to see what was playing. It had mixed results, said Jesse Locks, a representative for the festival.

“We saw it as an investment in our festival,” Locks said. “ Last year was the first year we launched the official Nevada City Film Festival iPhone app. We were actually surprised by how few attendees downloaded it. Perhaps that has something to say about the festival's demographics, how we promoted it or countless other variables, but those that did download and use it were pleased and appreciated our efforts in providing them substantial amount of information in a concise and fun way.”

Development of the app was “absolutely” worth it, Locks added.

“Mobile devices and how we communicate through them are the wave of the future, but they are a promotional and communication tool, and should never replace or diminish the personal interaction you have with your audience.”

Given the poor cell phone signals frequently found in Nevada County, Sierra Cinemas' mobile site isn't frequented yet, but LaMarca sees visits potentially growing, he said.

“Smartphone usage in our area is curtailed because it's hard to get a signal,” LaMarca said. “But that will change, and it's a youth thing, and more people have been adopting it over the last two to three years.”

Apps have been developed for downtown Grass Valley to let visitors know about downtown shopping and dining opportunities, and in regional tourist destinations like Lake Tahoe, letting people know where to find a hike or a hotel.

It may not be right for all businesses yet, but could become commonplace shortly, White said.

“Most small business owners haven't taken the jump into developing mobile content for their customers, but most large brands have,” White said. “At the pace mobile is growing, more and more businesses will feel the need to have a mobile website. In a few years — which is a long time in the world of mobile technology — having a mobile site will probably be as mainstream as having a traditional website is now.”

LaMarca sees the site as a revenue-generator, eventually. The company could use text-messaging technology to alert customers who sign up for the service that a show is getting close to selling out, and the mobile site could be used to sell tickets one day, he said.

To contact Staff Writer Kyle Magin, e-mail kmagin@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4239.