Global sales of handheld computers running Windows Mobile soared 64 percent in the first quarter, according to market research company Gartner (News - Alert). The increase was 39.7 percent over the same period a year ago. 3.2 million units of the total 5.1 million units shipped were Windows Mobile licensees, Gartner said. This trend was surprising because consumers generally wait until upgrades are imminent.

“This strong growth was surprising because Windows Mobile 6 will launch in the second quarter, accompanied by the launch of many new and improved models,” Gartner analyst Todd Kort said in a statement.

Research In Motion (RIM) continued to lead the PDA market. Gartner defines a PDA as a data-centric handheld computer that weighs less than a pound and is primarily designed for use with both hands.

The BlackBerry (News - Alert) Pearl accounted for 55 percent of RIM shipments and witnessed growth breaking the flat trend. As the new 88xx and 83xx models replace the 87xx, this growth will continue through the remainder of the year, predicts Gartner.

Mio Technology, the second leading player in the PDA market and Microsoft (News - Alert) licensee, achieved 162.1 percent growth in the first quarter and cornered 11.1 percent market share by shipping nearly 568,000 PDAs equipped with global positioning systems, which are popular in Europe and other regions.

The other leading PDA vendors - Samsung, Sharp and Nokia (News - Alert) - achieved market share of 8.8 percent, 8.5 percent and 6.2 percent respectively.

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P R Sai is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.