Megahertz versus gigaflops. Apple versus the iMac cloners. AMD versus Intel. Windows versus Linux. There's a lot of vicious bloodletting on the desktop computer battlefield these days, and we wouldn't be surprised if some of you are getting a little burnt out by it all. So if you're tired of the Desktop Wars, why not check in with the Handheld Wars instead? It's all the same corporate carnage, but it fits right in the palm of your hand-- a nice change of pace, right? (What, you thought we were going to advocate a break from the popular spectator sport known as technological fisticuffs to read a nice, peaceful book instead? Get real.)

Right now it's pretty widely acknowledged that Palm is king of the hill when it comes to handheld systems, but there are challengers to the crown. Handspring, the startup run by Palm's original co-founders, is poised to unveil their new Visor handheld, which is supposedly cheaper, faster, and more expandable than Palm's offerings. And then there are all those Windows CE (or should we say WinCE?) devices, trying to topple Palm from the throne by sheer weight of Windows. So how does Palm fight back? Well, according to an Associated Press article, 3Com (Palm's parent company) just announced that Palm will be spun off into a "separate publicly-traded company" next year, in hopes of raising cash to fatten up the war chest. And if you think this announcement coming so close to the Visor unveiling is just a coincidence, it's time to check your dinnerware's lead content.

Interestingly enough, Palm faces problems similar to Apple's with the iMac; specifically, we're thinking about how both companies have a number one product whose position is threatened by "clone" devices running versions of Windows. The eOne and any random WinCE device may exhibit a vast difference in size, but the strategy behind both products is the same: Windows conquers all. And speaking of Apple, don't forget, they're not out of the Handheld Wars just yet. Sure, the Newton is dead, but the technology is still in Apple's arsenal, and if rumors of a Palm partnership ever come to fruition, things might get very interesting indeed. Heck, we know Steve Jobs tried to buy first Palm and then Handspring, both to no avail, but once Palm becomes publicly traded, do you suppose he'll still be in a shopping mood?