Fujitsu LifeBook P1510 vs Motion Computing LS800

Only recently prices for TabletPC are starting to make sense, and with Microsoft's introduction of Ultra-Mobile PC this segment is getting some new excitement. I already have a ThinkPad X41 Tablet for work, but this time I want a tablet for personal use. After some research I have found 2 tablets that look like they have exactly what I want.

Before I dive into Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D vs Motion Computing LS800, why do I actually need a new laptop or a TabletPC for that matter? All the talks about TabletPC seem to focus on the medical or industrial like business use cases, what can a consumer do with a tablet?

1. Map and driving directions when I'm on the road. Wouldn't it be cool to have Google Earth in your car or when you're hiking?
   
2. Portable digital book. Gutenberg has a fine selection of free ebooks, but this applies to pdfs, webpages, magazines, articles, etc...
3. Note taking. The power to search your class notes and lectures is just amazing.
4. Sketch book and travel journal when I goto the park. Drawing and painting is an old college habit that I want to pick up again. Compare to pencils and paper, a TabletPC saves trees, its cleaner, and it is also easier to store/archive the final drawings.
   
5. VoIP. There is a lot of talk about VoIP replacing cellphones. Whether it will happen is another story, but I'm certainly curious what the technology can do in a real-life setting as supposed to a controlled desktop/indoor environment.
   
6. Act as a wireless remote control in my house so I can control my stereo, desktop, TV, etc...I don't actually need this feature right now because I don't own too many digital devices. Its still nice to know I can do that.
7. Write TabletPC applications. I don't actually plan to do this, but its nice to know that I can if I want to.
8. Portable computer, e.g. movie player when I'm on the plane. My 12" IBM X41 is by no means huge, but I wouldn't want to carry it around either.
9. Personal computer. It would be nice to have a personal computer so I don't have to rely on my work laptop for everything.

Not all of these reasons apply to tablet, but many of them can benefit from being a tablet form (e.g. #2, its much more natural to read a book on a tablet than a laptop).

Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D	Motion Computing LS800
9.3" x 7.32" x 1.36"/1.46"	8.94" x 6.69" x 0.87"
2.5 lbs	2.2 lbs
Up to 7.0 hours of battery life LexarTM JumpDrive Sport 1 GB USB Flash Drive Real laptop Keyboard	View Anywhere® display Integrated Bluetooth®
$1,572.11	$2,411.80

* Both machines have Intel® Centrino® 1.20GHz. 512MB Memory. 30GB Hard Drive. WindowsXP Tablet Edition.
* Prices include additional upgrades, shipping, and taxes. Price for LifeBook is after a limited time 10% off coupon. Fujitsu also has another coupon for free shipping and a free 1GB USB Drive.
* Fujitsu P1510D base model upgraded with Windows XP Tablet Edition and from 3 Cell to 6 Cell battery. The two upgrades cost $100.
* LS800 base model upgraded with ViewAnywhere (a $299 upgrade). It has WindowsXP Tablet Edition by default.
* Fujitsu upgrade from 512MB Memory to 1GB memory costs $600, whereas LS800 costs only $100. This analysis is done without the memory upgrade. The cost and value proposition will change dramatically if they're judged under the 1GB memory configuration.

Motion Computing LS800 is definitely the better tablet. It is smaller, lighter, and has ViewAnywhere® (it even rhythms!). But I have to give the final prize to Fujitsu. Fujitsu not only holds up pretty well as a tablet (almost the same size and weight), but with 7 hour long battery life it is perfect in an outdoor environment where you don't have access to power supply. Not only that, with it's real keyboard Fujitsu's LifeBook can act as a true laptop. Of course, the $800+ price difference of the two is a major factor as well. In other words, Motion Computing LS800 is a better Tablet, but Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D is a better product.