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silicon.com recently asked its readers for their opinions on handhelds and the site has just announced the results. It found that most IT professionals already have a handheld and almost all the rest want one.

The site found that 61% of those who responded are handheld owners. Of those who aren't, 53% are interested in getting one, with 28% saying they are waiting for prices to drop and 25% saying they just haven't gotten around to it. Just 18% of those without a handheld said they saw no need of one.

Of those who do own handhelds, 62% said their device makes them a better employee. Of those respondents who have a handheld, 94% of them use it to store address and 87% keep their calendar on it.

While those are the two biggest uses for handhelds, 46% of the handheld users access Microsoft Office documents with their device, while 34% surf the Web or exchange email. In addition, 30% download Web pages onto their device through a service like AvantGo.

Despite a recent study from Jupiter research showing that Americans aren't interested in smart phones, 61% of the IT professionals who responded to the silicon.com survey said they were interested in someday getting a device that combines a handheld and a mobile phone.

Related Links

• Americans Don't Need No Stinkin' Smartphones