Excellent Review
You may want to look into the Pi's (new) ability to boot from USB. A cheap USB to SATA adapter paired with an SSD provides unparalled performance (speed, write endurance), perfect for storing many types of data or even virtual machine images. In my opinion, this feature addition allows the Pi to compete with similar desktop offerings in a more serious manner.
I may order one. I have heard people have issues with laptop HDDs, but SSDs are so much simpler and more efficient with no motorized moving parts.