Handheld device maker Palm created a stir at the PC Expo trade show in New York this week when it announced that it would support a competing expansion card format instead of those from its licensees, Sony and Handspring.

The company said it will include the Secure Digital (SD) card slot, developed by Matsushita, SanDisk and Toshiba, in its devices from early next year. Industry observers had expected Palm to use technology exclusively from licensees of its Palm operating environment.

The SD card format competes directly with Sony's Memory Stick technology and Handspring's Springboard expansion system.

The slot will allow users to plug in cards in order to backup files or access digital media such as electronic books, maps or MP3 files. It will also support Bluetooth cards for wireless connectivity.