TECHNOLOGY - Feb. 3, 1999

* 3Com Corp., the No. 2 maker of computer-networking equipment, named Robin Abrams president of its Palm Computing unit, giving the industry veteran the reins of its fastest-growing product line. Abrams also was named senior vice president of the company and will report to President and Chief Operating Officer Bruce Claflin. Abrams will leave her job as president and chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co.’s VeriFone unit to join 3Com on Feb. 12. Palm Computing makes the market-leading PalmPilot hand-held computer, which lets users store information such as names, addresses and calendar items electronically. The device accounts for more than 70% of U.S. sales of hand-held computers, with more than 1 million sold last year, according to market researcher International Data Corp. Shares of Santa Clara-based 3Com fell $3.13 to close at $44.13 on Nasdaq.