The author failed to mention CPU info... will it be Atom or something else. Also, no mention of RAM...

Anyways... it the board is capable of running HD video, it would be perfect for HTPC

Intel cannot put a few Mini-PCIe slots on a Mini-ITX board?

There is a thing called riser card that many low-profile enclosures make use of. And PCI-E is not a waste at all. It is 100% backward compatible with x8,x4 and x1.

I remember reading how an underclocked brisbane on a 780g beat the pants off of the atom platform in terms of both performance and power consumption, all with passive cooling. Has amd done anything in this regard, or it letting intels in-order processor (have to go back to the original pentiums to find one of those) get a free ride to salesville?

Tell me what should we do with them, and to allow the use of thin enclosures.