PDA market faces unexpected 25 percent growth

Market research firm Gartner reports that PDA sales have returned to record levels in the first quarter of this year. The PDA market experienced a 25 percent growth to 3.4 million units.

The growth was unexpected since most people believed the handheld computer sector was going to crash. The world's best-selling PDA is the BlackBerry from Research in Motion, which accounts for 20.8 percenf of the market. PalmOne only holds 18 percent of the PDA market, compared to 30.5 percent last year.

Gartner says the PDA growth was driven by interest in wireless connectivity, which matured last year. These newer models are more expense and have boosted the average selling price by 15 percent to a record $406 per unit.

Handheld computers with WiFI or cellular capabilities accounted for 55 percent of the market during the first quarter of the year. Customers also like the new models with large displays and basic qwerty keyboards. More details at TechWorld