I think there are, and will be for some time to come, many misconceptions about the eKo keyboard. The best way to think of this instrument is that it is like buying a new Windows computer: right out of the box it likely doesn't do much more than play Solitare (Open Labs is now dealing with many third party vendors to include some music-making software with it). So the short answer is that it won't do anything without the right software for the job you have in mind. The first eKo's won't even reach the market until the 2nd quarter of this year but I think it'll be much longer before it becomes a practical instrument.

Since the eKo is a computer in a keyboard box, it takes PCI cards. It's likely that you can put nearly any kind of Windows-compatible audio card in it, but what the eKo is really made for is softsynths. EKo will shine with things like Reason, Cakewalk's new Project 5, and others. It's likely that you'll be able to use the soundcard's native hardware synth in conjunction with softsynths so polyphony could be unlimited, pending what the CPU/RAM can handle. The number of softsynths or other software you can run at any one time will vary from user to user and program to program.

For arranger-type functions, the software program Jammer Live does some basic accompaniment but no where near the level of sophistication than cheap Yamaha PSR's can do currently. We can only hope that more advanced arranger software becomes available. As to button functions - you'll either have to program them yourself on what Open Labs offers as control surfaces or third party developers will come out with specific control panels for their software and the eKo.

The eko could be a bridge to the next generation of keyboards but the road itself is still under construction. It isn't what the eKo is currently capable of that has everyone buzzing, it's the potential and the possibilities. In theory there are many ways that the eKo could surpass the functionality of the workstations and arrangers we use today and give everyone a custom instrument designed around their specific needs. In reality, it doesn't yet do what a cheap used PSR arranger can do right now. This year the eKo will undergo much development and refinement so I only look for it to sell only to high-end workstation users initially (and expensively). A year or two down the road after more accessories and programs are developed specifically for eKo, it might be capable of being a high-end arranger or other type of synth. Or it could live a brief and highly acclaimed life and then drop from the market altogether if the company doesn't make it, like the Synclavier or Fairlight did. Time will tell.