I know, I know. The title of this article sounds like its written for a digg ultra mobile PC search but, and my apologies to the established UK resellers, this has to be aired.
I’ve just been reading an article in UK’s Stuff magazine about Expansys importing and supplying the Sony UX series ultra mobile PC in the UK. I also ran an article on the subject and came to a similar conclusion that importing is the only way to get hold of some of the UMPCs if you’re in Europe.
Having read the article though, I looked into the price of importing other devices into the UK and found that importing a device that is already available in the UK or Europe can work out cheaper than buying in the UK.
The recent announcement by agopc of the ago7 ultra mobile PC prompted me to look in detail at import costs for the Amtek T700 OEM devices and it turns out that you can save around $300 (UKP150 – 20%) over the current UK price by importing from the U.S. I looked at the ago7 and the eo v7110 (in 512MB/40GB configuration) as UK imports through Agopc and Dynamism respectively and after adding the 17.5% VAT and the P&P (it appears that there’s no import duty to pay on portable/handheld PC’s imported to the UK but double-check this with your supplier please before you order.) the price works out at about $1100. Even better, if you can get 10 or more people together, you could be looking at bulk purchase discounts of $50-$100 off the unit price and a few hundred on postage costs. I’m almost tempted to buy up 20 right now! Anyone for a Carrypad branded Amtek T700?
Of the two options I looked at, ordering through Dynamism is possibly the easiest as they have a UK version of their website and a well-oiled processes for exporting from the U.S. Agopc are cheaper but you might have to spend a little more effort in the ordering process and checking on details.
I wouldn’t really recommend this as a choice for businesses though. Companies like PocketPc Solutions, the Tablet Kiosk partner in the UK, are very experienced in offering local pre and post-sales support and for most businesses, the value of this far outweighs the savings. (and i’m not sure you can claim back import taxes.) There may also be issues with US versions of software and US power adaptors so if you are thinking of putting in an order, check with the supplier about this. Also watch out for special offers (PocketPC Solutions are running an offer through August) and always contact your local supplier to see if they can offer any extra discounts or bundled accessories.
Some helpful links to get help you on your way:
Dynamism.com (UK page) Can supply a number of types of UMPC.
AgoPC. (U.S. based suppler of the ago7 branded Amtek T700)
PocketPC Solutions (local UK supplier of the Tablet Kiosk v7110 branded Amtek T700)
CamTech Systems (local UK supplier of the Paceblade Easybook P7 branded Amtek T700)
Steve / Chippy.
