anyway, a mini-ITX mobo,with enough RAM and stuff would cost just over 100 USD.

That's cheaper than I thought. I might have to look into that for another hobby project I've been considering--my own GPS navigation system for my car which doesn't have one built in. That's something else that I could certainly buy for less than it'd cost me if I value my time, but GPS, user interface, maps... that's just too cool. A mini-ITX with the price and footprint you're talking about would let me do that under Linux rather than hacking up a Palm. :)

Regards,
Craig Steiner