If U.S. handheld computer and software maker Palm ever had any doubts about the strength of its competition, last week's blitz by Microsoft to launch its rival Pocket PC 2002 software did away with them. Microsoft blew thousands of dollars to show off the software with a splash simultaneously in London and San Francisco. The vodka flowed in six different flavours, but analysts were most knocked out by the new product. "It was impressive," said analyst Jan Sythoff at research group Frost & Sullivan. He particularly liked the fact that Pocket PC 2002 enables companies to link mobile devices and corporate computers in the same secure systems. In stark contrast, Palm countered a few days later with a gathering in a cramped top-floor room in a London office, where a handful of reporters sat through long PowerPoint presentations in which Palm claimed it could do everything Microsoft promised, eventually. At the launch of Pocket PC 2002, which at its core is the third version of its four-year old handheld computer software, Microsoft never even mentioned market leader Palm. Microsoft has a modest 20 percent share compared with Palm's 56 percent. "The new Pocket PC will help Microsoft gain market share," said Chris Jones at research group Canalys, which tracks the mobile computing market.