It used to be that if you used a handheld computer, you bought it out of your own pocket and used it to keep track of both your personal and professional life. Now the companies that compile the handheld computing market are gearing up for a crucial market battle for business users, in hopes of selling thousands of devices at a time. That's why Palm is rushing to develop a software unit that can create applications that are actually useful for business users. And that's also one of the primary reasons behind Microsoft's release of a new operating system, previously codenamed Merlin, for its Pocket PC platform, called Pocket PC 2002. Right now the game is Palm's to loose. Combine all the devices that use the Palm operating system together, including Handspring's Visor line and Sony's Clie, among others, and you're talking about 69% of the worldwide handheld market, compared to 17% for PocketPC, according to market research firm IDC, Framingham, Mass.
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