I agree Dehc, I've played with a few netbooks running Atom CPUs and they are just terrible if you need to browse the net and type up a report at the same time... throw in background music playing with MP3 or iTunes, and the system grinds to a halt.

While they're good for quick email/facebook updates, I think the smartphone/berry would be a better option. hence iPad/Android stuff is getting more popular, and the need for some Ultra-Low Power but good number crunching CPUs (as noted above).

I like your ideas for the HTPC using these ultra-low products... Q6600 seems like overkill...lol.