No, the future of ubiquitous computing is represented by bigger pockets.

...But seriously, folks--I can squeeze the eee PC into a large cargo pocket, and walk with a Joker-ish hitch to my stride, but that doesn't even technically represent ubiquitous computing. It takes longer than 10 seconds to boot, and it's awkward to use while standing up, so if I've got 'em both on me I'll always default to the iPhone unless I need to type more than a paragraph, or do something the iPhone can't.

It depends on your usage pattern. I take the train to work and always get a seat, so by carrying my Eee I recover an 40-60 minutes a day.

If I had to stand up on the train, an Android phone or an E71 (or at last resort, an iPod) would be a much better choice.

Here's my take.

In your case, I would say the train with it's seats & 1 hr time period is more similar to an office scenario. Just like laptops extended the office to planes, long train rides & coffee shops Eee-like laptops extend the office further. The iphone is computing away from the office: The lift, the taxi, the meeting, the queue.

So to restate common wisdom: Whether or not you'll be able to work a spreadsheet or create a powerpoint on one is not as important as what new things you can/will do on one.

This guy implies using the Eee for calls, texts, music etc. I don't buy it.

They're the future of ubiquitous web surfing, not computing. There's still lots that you can do on a laptop that you cannot on a phone (and will be for quite some time) and much, much more than you maybe could do on a phone but it would be so uncomfortable that you'd rather stick a fork in your eye.

Seems to me that the issue here is input method. If someone comes up with an input method better than a keyboard, then the form-factor large enough for a keyboard looks far less attractive.

And the screen. Editing XLS files on a phone is brutal. I've done it. There are a lot of websites that I like being much larger than on an iPhone too.

There are already goggles that give you a virtual 30" screen. If they can figure out why some people get a headache and solve that, then "big enough for a keyboard" goes out the window.

How about a one-handed, wearable chording keyboard?

http://www.handykey.com

Actually, I believe wearables represent the future of ubiquitous computing, but I think phones will be a keystone of this story for a long time.