By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY  's duel over data-storage company 3Par is beginning to resemble a ping-pong match.  The world's two biggest PC makers again today upped the ante in their bids to buy 3Par (PAR).  Just hours after Dell(DELL) matched HP's (HPQ) $27-per-share offer this morning, HP bumped up its offer to $30, or about $1.9 billion.  The battle to buy 3Par began last week, when Dell made an initial offer of $18 per share, or about $1.15 billion. Since then, HP and Dell have sweetened their acquisition prices.  3Par's board had accepted the latest bid from Dell, which only has to match the terms of other offers under its initial agreement with 3Par.  3Par and Dell had no comment on HP's latest bid.  In midday trading, 3Par's already-surging stock rose 21%, to $31.46. HP shares are down 2%, to $37.59. Dell shares are up nearly 3%, to $12.06.  HP and Dell covet 3Par because its technology greatly reduces the cost of data storage and is considered crucial to for "cloud computing," in which software, data storage and other services are delivered to businesses over the Internet.  The scrum for 3Par underscores how serious HP and Dell are about diversifying their business models beyond PCs. Both are aggressively pursuing more profitable businesses, in storage, services and network equipment — chiefly through big-ticket acquisitions.  Neither is likely to shrink from snapping up 3Par, based in Silicon Valley. Dell's annual revenue is roughly half of HP's $115 billion, but it has comparable cash. Dell has $13.1 billion in cash and short-term investments. HP has $14.7 billion.  . "Acquisitions tend to begin as measured efforts guided by fiscal prudence and careful strategic analysis," says Charles King, an analyst at market researcher Pund-IT. "But add competitive issues to the mix and the result can come to resemble a Las Vegas buffet raided by a failed America's Biggest Loser contestant."  Dell is based in Round Rock, Texas. HP is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., and 3Par is based in Fremont, Calif.  You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference.
Computer maker Dell Inc. has matched a $1.69 billion offer from Hewlett-Packard Co. to buy the data-storage company 3Par Inc., raising the stakes in the bidding contest for the little-known company.