OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-The emergence of converged wireless handheld devices capable of multiple communications tasks may provide relief for the seemingly slowing PDA industry, according to research firm ABI.
Converged devices, which ABI refers to as “connected PDAs,” have thus far been slow to gain traction, partly due to limitations of form factors, but the research firm expects that to change as new products, like the Treo 600, are launched. “Connected PDAs will represent over 50 percent of the total PDA market by 2006, unlike smart phones, which will continue to represent only a small portion of the overall handset market,” said Kenil Vora, analyst at ABI.
ABI’s report predicts the overall PDA market will grow to $10 billion by 2008, driven by new form factors for the devices and new technology applications for telematics, satellite location, barcode scanning, RFID tracking and digital photography.
