Handheld Sales in the US were up 62% for the year through September, with Palm Computing maintaining its leadership position in the profitable PDA segment. According to Port Washington, New York-based research firm NPD Intelect, nearly 2.5 million handheld computing devices worth around $321m in total were sold in the first nine months of the year.
In the personal digital assistant sector – devices costing around $200 and up – Palm was dominant, slightly increasing its market share from 74.5% last year to 77.9% this year. Companies offering Windows CE-based devices trailed in the 3Com company’s wake. Casio had the strongest showing with a 9.5% share. Royal Franklin narrowly beat out Sharp Electronics in the lower priced Personal Organizer sector with a 38% market share. The research firm expects that sales could top $450m by the end of the year. á
