The handheld PDA is supposed to be a dinosaur, threatened with extinction by the smartphone. This year, however, several companies have unveiled new models that follow the traditional Pocket PC form factor, stating that they expect to see growth in demand for this style of device in the enterprise.

For years, market research firms have been reporting declining sales in traditional handhelds, with many manufacturers ceasing to sell the devices. A milestone came earlier this year when Dell announced it was killing off its once-popular Axim brand, credited by many with lowering the cost of Microsoft-based devices.

HTC, however, has this month launched a handful of new models, including the P6500, a Windows Mobile 6 device with fingerprint scanner, GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G wireless, and the option for up to 1GB of internal memory. Back at the start of summer, Socket Mobile announced a similar device, the SoMo 650, while Symbol has recently unveiled an update to its semi-rugged MC70 model.

These devices are all closer in price to consumer smartphones than the very costly handhelds designed for harsh environments, yet have more enterprise-friendly features than were found in earlier PDA designs.

“Symbol thinks there is a sweet spot in the market for devices that are rugged, but not too rugged. These are aimed at white collar workers more than their older kit,” said Jeremy Green, principal analyst for enterprise mobility at Ovum. HTC is making the same move but is approaching the market from the other end, he added.

Demand is being driven by a new interest in enterprise mobility, giving workers access to information and applications needed for their job while on the move, according to Lars Vestergaard, IDC’s research director for enterprise mobility in Europe.

“Companies have only recently realised that mobility can be achieved, and it’s now hard to find arguments why any company could not improve its business through mobility,” Vestergaard said.

Implementing a mobile strategy can incur considerable costs up front, but businesses can expect to see a payback on this investment in as little as six months in some scenarios, Vestergaard claimed.

Another factor is that a broad range of devices with different characteristics is now available, making it easier for businesses to find something that is a good match for their requirements.

Jason Langridge, UK mobility business manager at Microsoft, said that no single device is suitable for all customers. The Windows Mobile platform has therefore been developed to offer customisation, but within a standard framework that is familiar to enterprise users.

Vestergaard agreed, and said that PDAs have not always offered the greatest user experience in the past, but that new devices now have the right specification for the job.

However, Green cautioned that a mass move to enterprise mobility has always been just about to happen. “It may finally turn out to be true, but we’ll only know in retrospect if this is a groundswell or just more noise,” he said.