PDA and smartphone manufacturers have received a boost from the uptake in mobile working, with a 41 per cent year-on-year sales growth in the first three months of 2004.

Research conducted by analyst firm Canalys also showed that smartphones represented 63 per cent of mobile devices shipped in EMEA during the period, up from 35 per cent a year earlier.

Handhelds fell from 40 per cent of the total to 29 per cent during the same period.

"We are seeing an increasing growth in the mobile enterprise but let's not be too upbeat yet," Canalys analyst Rachel Lashford told vnunet.com.

"The devices are still primarily being driven by individuals."

But Lashford added that the trend for individuals to buy smartphones and PDAs presented concerns for IT managers trying to manage security within the enterprise.

"There are major security issues about rogue devices being brought into institutions. IT managers need to look at this interest in converging devices and how they can safely be connected with the office desktop," she said.

Canalys added that it hoped some of these concerns would be overcome as more enterprises started rolling out smartphones and PDAs this year.

Nokia led mobile device sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with 48 per cent market share, according to the analyst firm.

In the European smartphone segment, which increased by 115 per cent in the first quarter, Nokia dominated with a 73 per cent share, while PDA vendor PalmOne lagged behind mobile phone manufacturers Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Siemens despite its acquisition last year of Handspring.

Global mobile device variations were also mirrored in the mobile operating platform market, with Symbian OS chalking up a 60 per cent share in Europe but only six per cent in North America, where PalmSource leads.