As you, I do not want Windoze, in fact I am selling my Visduh Windoze notebook with its interminable boot-up time in anticipation of buying one of these. From what I have read, only the second gen models with WiMax will have Windows OS. It appears to me that the non-WiMax units will still sport Linux.
For myself, the proposed 10" screen sounds more to my liking, which will also provide a bit larger keyboard. I can live with a little bit higher additional cost for the slightly larger unit, as long it is still Linux OS.
BTW, for your desired set-up, you could purchase the 8GB model, available now, and add an 8GB SD card, and voila, you have your 16GB you want.
The OS is not tied irrevocably to the hardware. Wipe out Vista and install a linux distro on it. That way you're not shoveling out money for new hardware.
That sounds like a plan. I could just move all documents, pix, videos etc to the SD card and keep the flash drive clean.
I think the 8GB version will settle out around the $400 price point or lower as soon as the turbo deluxe models come out. I'll wait and see what happens.
I remember when the Xbox was unobtanium; people were hawking them on eBay before Christmas for ridiculous prices. Then after the Xbox 360 came out, I picked up an Xbox for $75. I can't afford to be a cutting-edge early adopter. I don't need a lot of apps on my portable. The EeePC is a remarkable, unique communication device for the common man, and I hope they continue to make the simple ones. It's less than a laptop, yet more than a smartphone. If it gets broken or lost, no big deal, get another one. And I can have a wireless laptop in my coat pocket with no Windows or bloat. Who's your daddy, Bill Gates? I got your WGA right...here.