Global shipments of handheld computers fell again in the second quarter, as demand for the pocket-sized personal organizers continued to shrink, as did Palm Inc.'s dominant hold on the market, according to a recent study. Research group International Data Corp. on Thursday said second quarter shipments fell to 2.6 million, down 10 percent from one year ago, and off 17 percent from the first quarter. Palm, which makes both the devices and the operating system software that drives them, once again dominated the market, but its grip loosened somewhat as competitors gained share.

Palm shipped 846,000 of its branded devices, IDC estimated, down from 1.3 million in the first quarter and 890,000 in the year-ago period. Its worldwide share fell to 32.4 percent, from 40.6 percent in the first quarter, but was slightly better than the 31 percent share it claimed in the second quarter of 2001. IDC analyst Kevin Burden said demand for the devices has slowed, as consumers, faced with a troubled economy, think twice about spending up to $500 on a device that primarily manages appointments and keep track of phone numbers and memos.