I think that you've missed the point here... This isn't about price or performance... The vendor has identified and patched an vulnerability, and have made the patch available in a free update that is easy to install, yet a large number of users haven't installed the update yet. How would this be improved by using an open source solution, which is generally more complicated to administer than an appliance with an embedded OS?

Exactly! I still use business cards, but I print a QR code on the back that can be scanned by a smartphone. The Droid will read it and add it to contacts, including name, address, email, phone, etc. I think a QR code can contain up to 4K of text?

Why not just get something like the Logitech DiNovo Mini? Its a bluetooth keyboard/trackpad combo that fits in the palm of your hand. Logitech only supports it on Windows, but its recognized on the Mac and should work as a keyboard/mouse on Linux as well. I've not tried it with Linux as none of my boxes have bluetooth...

Sounds to me like what you want is a modern-day Newton priced like the iPod Touch!

You might look at Snake Wrangling for Kids or perhaps at How to Think Like a Computer Scientist.