The worldwide market for non-converged handheld devices (PDAs) declined for the sixth consecutive quarter in Q2 of 2005, IDC reports. Vendors offering GPS-enabled PDAs fared best. Overall, shipments were 1.7 million units, a fall of 24.9 percent from the prior quarter, and a shrinkage of 20.8 percent from Q2 2004.

Hewlett-Packard saw its shipments drop 39.3 percent year over year and 35.2 percent sequentially, as mobile users continue to shift from handhelds to converged devices integrating mobile phone technology. HP has accelerated its own shift, however, and is moving rapidly to ensure a strong product lineup in both the handheld and converged device spaces, according to IDC.

Apparently, handhelds with other features such as GPS still hold some interest. Driven primarily by demand for its n35 handheld device with integrated GPS receiver, Acer maintained a position among the Top 5 handheld vendors for the second consecutive quarter, with shipments up a whopping 608.2 percent year over year and 61.1 percent sequentially.

Another GPS-enabled handheld showed similar success, with German consumer electronics vendor Yakumo squeaking into the Top 5. Yakumo's year-over-year PDA shipments were up 346.2 percent, with sequential shipments up 52.6 percent, thanks to popular GPS-enabled models, and a comprehensive channel strategy, IDC says.

IDC's research manager for mobile devices, Kevin Burden, said, “Handheld device manufacturers are striving to create new solutions that leverage the unique hardware and software capabilities of the handheld device. Discovering and developing these new solutions [is] essential for returning the market to growth.”

 
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