Computer vendor Dell Computer Corp. on Monday said it will launch sales on Nov. 18 of a handheld computer bearing its name, a highly-anticipated entry that could hurt leading handheld maker Palm Inc. Dell, the world's largest personal computer vendor, said it has begun to alert its sales and marketing channels of the new device, Dell Axim X5, powered by Microsoft Corp.'s Pocket PC operating system software.
"We are going to announce and start taking orders on the 18th," spokesman Cody Pinkston said. "It will start shipping shortly afterward."
Personal digital assistants, or PDAs, are popular pocket-sized devices used primarily to manage contact or date book information. Palm dominates the market for both PDAs sold, and for the software that drives handhelds, which it licenses to manufacturers such as Handspring Inc. and Sony Corp.
Experts suggest that Dell's ability to deliver a low-cost product might nip at one of Palm's key marketing advantages. To date, Palm-driven PDAs on average cost far less than Pocket PC devices, such as those sold by Hewlett-Packard Co.
"Whatever Dell gets into, they do so because they can blow out market share and revamp that market by being much more aggressive on price point," said International Data Corp. analyst Alex Slawsby. "One would expect Dell would take the same strategy into the handheld space."
News source: Reuters - Dell New PDA Due, Seen Stirring Market
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