The prices listed are in S$ and include shipping and taxes. From my knowledge of UMPCs, current and upcoming generation, there's some pretty obvious facts. Note that the price of the refurbished P1610 is estimated... could be higher but I believe this should be the upper limit.
My analysis focus is on tablet conformation devices too.
1) There exist only ONE 8.9" tablet conformation device currently and for the foreseeable future. This is the P1610/1620 line from Fujitsu.
2) There are no 8.9" tablet conformation devices for below S$1500. Period. If you want a cheaper device, you must be happy with a 7" tablet conformation device.
3) All devices have about the same battery life 2-3hrs... with the exception of the Clevo UMPC (it is based on Intel Atom), and probably other devices that utilize the Intel Atom architecture. However, is battery life really a key for a secondary electronic device??? Is it a luxury option or a necessity option?
4) All the 7" tablet conformation devices range from S$900-S$1400 depending on the model type and whether new or 2nd-hand. However, arguably all of them have the same CPU power equivalent to a Dothan-class 600-800Mhz. Note that the upcoming Intel Atom 1.8GHz reportedly matches with the Intel Stealey 800Mhz in performance, and Intel Stealey is really just Dothan in disguise. Henceforth, with CPU power in the same category, it does not make sense to fork out money for the higher-priced 7" tablet devices, i.e. purchasing a used Kohjinsha SH6 makes the most economical sense.
5) Assuming I am on a budget, according to pt. 4 I will spend about S$900 on a 7" tablet device. This means that purchasing a P1610 means spending S$600 more than I would. The justification for that sum of money would be - Increased screen size, Increased CPU, Shock-mounted HDD. Arguably, the P1610 despite it's 1+ yr age since its launch may be the most "futureproof" option out of all UMPCs. Why? As I said, WL don't think anyone will release a 9" tablet device anytime soon. Even if they do, they will be based on the Intel Atom architecture that is pathetically slow. Also remember that Intel CPU for MID/UMPC are not going for the performance route but rather power-saving, this means that as years go by, you will see battery life get longer but CPU performance will more-or-less remain stagnant.
6) The retail price of the P1610 (and P162o) is much much higher than the refurbished price. We're talking at least 30% discount, and even so the P1610 has been discontinued making it very hard to find.
7) From P1610 to P1620, the major change is the adoption of Merom Dual-Core CPU. This increases the price by two times, reaching the region of S$2800-3100.
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