Consumer sales of handheld devices without voice communications slid for the seventh consecutive quarter, a market research firm said Thursday.

Shipments fell in the third quarter 16.9 percent from the same period a year ago to 1.6 million units, International Data Corp. said. Quarter-to-quarter, shipments dropped 8.8 percent.

The reason for the free fall is competition from mobile devices that combine voice communications with many of the traditional functions of a handheld device, such as personal information management, IDC said. To counter waning consumer demand, manufacturers have introduced new products, software upgrades and global positioning systems.

As a result, shipments are expected to increase quarter-to-quarter during the holiday season, but continue their year-to-year decline, IDC said.

Is this a clear sign that consumers are looking for something better, as technology moves at speed customers not only expect but demand more…continue reading at techweb.com