PDA users loyal to their OS

And don't care for cameras

Telephony and an integrated camera rank down the list of the top 12 features end users want in their dream handheld device - and when they get their next device, most plan to stick with the same operating system.

Those are some of the findings of a study of 3,260 users of AvantGo - a company that allows web content to be read on PDAs and smart phones. The full list of must-have features reads like this:

1. Calendar/contact list
2. Easily syncs with PC
3. Great battery life
4. Email/messaging
5. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
6. Compact size
7. MP3 player
8. Phone
9. Large screen
10. GPS locator
11. 20GB+ memory
12. Camera

Calendar/contact list - otherwise known as classic PIM (personal information management) - is where PDAs started out and was mentioned by 94 per cent of respondents. At the other end of the list, only 63 per cent said cameras has to be part of their ideal all-in-one gadget.

Neil Versen, senior director of AvantGo at iAnywhere Solutions, told silicon.com it isn't surprising there is loyalty to one of the two main handheld OSes - 85 per cent of PocketPC users saying will stick with that platform and 82 per cent of Palm owners giving the equivalent answer.

"Once 'hooked', users would rather stick to 'tried and true' than try something new," he said.

On the low-ranking of camera functionality, Versen said users are favouring "functional" over "fancy" features.

Jean-Marc Holder, EMEA director of marketing at PalmSource, said AvantGo users are likely to be sophisticated users of handhelds and their loyalty is likely to be down to making use of specific solutions - running applications that apply to their profession or a hobby, for example.

The survey was conducted on mobile devices using AvantGo. Fifty per cent of respondents had a Palm OS-based device, 40 per cent PocketPC and 10 per cent specifying 'other'.

AvantGo is part of iAnywhere, a wireless-focused subsidiary of Sybase.