IBM, Sharp Bringing Linux To Handhelds Palm, Microsoft Reign Consumers not expected to want Linux, but firms could be potential target.(A)

Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN

Two global tech giants have teamed up to give the Linux operating system a big push in the handheld device market.

Sharp Electronics Corp., the North American marketing arm of Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp., and IBM Corp. recently aligned. Before April, Big Blue plans to start selling software that can work with Sharp's new Zaurus SL5500 handheld device, which runs on Linux.

The partnership is one of the first major efforts to establish Linux in handhelds. Analysts doubt Linux will soon offer much of a threat to the leading consumer handheld operating systems made by Palm Inc. and Microsoft Corp. But the corporate market is wide open, they say.

"In the U.S., Linux has no chance against Palm and Microsoft in the broader consumer market," said Kevin Burden, an International Data Corp. analyst. "This agreement is IBM's way of giving the biggest Linux handheld maker a boost in the corporate arena."

IBM has been one of the biggest backers of Linux overall, seeing it as a way to decrease dependence on Microsoft's dominant Windows operating systems.

Linux is freely distributed. Anyone can download its source code. Palm's operating system and Microsoft's PocketPC are proprietary software products. They run most of the handheld devices, also called personal digital assistants, in the U.S.