[Q] How much battery life can I expect (main use word processing). How
long to recharge? Is there a separate power brick and recharger?

[A] Up to 4 hours maximum and 1 hour to recharge. You don't need a separate
recharger but you can buy one if you wish to recharge two batteries at once.

[A] I get two to three hours runtime on my 4/33 color machine using
Windows. Recharge time is about 1.5 hours; but that's also using the
"extended" battery which ships with the color Aeros. Of course, recharge
time is longer if you're using the machine; but you can use it while the
battery is recharging. The AC adapter is not your usual "wall-wart" brick.
It's a block about 4.5" x 2.25" x 1.2" with an 18" cable to the plug which
goes into the Aero. The other end has a socket for the line cord that
plugs into the wall. This unit serves as both the battery charger and the
AC adapter. Extras are available for $29 or so; I bought a second one so I
can have one at work and one at home. Note that the battery must be
recharged while within the Aero. The optional Convenience Base has a
spot for recharging a second battery; without this you'd have to put a
spare battery into the Aero to recharge it.

[Q] What do you think about the ergonomic factors (e.g., screen size,
keyboard layout, trackball, etc?)

[A] Keyboard is great and silent. Screen size 8" is more than enough for
640x480 resolution screen. Think about it: on desktops people are using a
15" screen with 1024x780.

[A] I like them. Screen size is just fine for me. The DOS text-mode font
seems fine; better than some laptops I've seen. I like the keyboard more
than any other subnote I've used, and the trackball is fine. However,
these are all very subjective things and what works for me may not work
for you.