Intel Corp’s dash for the top end with ever-faster Pentiums and the P6 is leaving the lower end of the market to Advanced Micro Devices Inc, and Hewlett-Packard Co has turned to the Sunnyvale chipmaker for help with developing new low-power chips to keep up the momentum generated by the HP OmniBook line of handheld computers. Advanced Micro already offers the Am386SC300, which includes an 80386-compatible core integrated with two PCMCIA controllers, serial and parallel ports and liquid crystal flat-panel display controller, with full AT compatibility and the capability to run off two AA batteries. Hewlett-Packard will help with further development that will add communications capability. A new report from Dataquest Inc suggests that the market for handhelds grew 39% last year to 950,000 units, and that Hewlett-Packard is number one in the handheld computer market with 27%, followed by Fujitsu Ltd with 16% and Apple Computer Inc with 15%. Dataquest identifies a separate market for expandable organisers, giving Sharp Corp 50% of the world market, followed by Psion Plc with 39% and Casio Computer Co with 11%.
