toneport: please explain!

hello
i would be grateful if anyone with good experience of line 6's toneport could answer a few questions (searched around their website, but am still unsure about the following) (generally looking at funk/soul/jazz kind of guitar/vocals):

1. is the audio processed in the box itself? or in software (i.e. your computer).

2. if software, i guess it functions almost like a vst instrument (not quite, i realise but in that it's inside the software) so i suppose it has some affect on your cpu use while recording in whatever DAW you're using. does it use a significant amount of cpu cycles? and is latency at all noticeable -- does the ASIO direct monitoring feature work?

2b. also, if it is in software, then is this basically just an audio interface? in which case, if i get the software i can just use my existing audio card?

3. if it's happening inside the box, does it work at all when not tethered to your computer? i.e. can i set up sound processing while plugged in, then take it on the road when i don't have my computer with me? if not, then what is the next jump up in line 6's products that would allow me this possibility (sound setting with computer, but freestanding too -- i like the way this works with the variax guitars)?

4. i guess you can only have one sound card set up at any time, so if you use toneport then you have route all your audio out through it at the same time. is it any good at this? (and i presume then that it doesn't also process this audio too? since it's playing back pre-recorded audio from whatever piece you're working on). the extract from the manual on line 6's site suggests one way to set up is to route out through analog back into your original sound card -- is this really the only way to set up if you have a sound card already? (seems a waste of the analog-digital-analog-digital conversions. )

5. how good are its preamps for both both vocals and guitars? i.e. if i use it without any processing at all, is it good value for money (given that it's already pretty inexpensive). i don't need it at all for its effects (delay, reverb, phaser, etc.).

6. are the visual meters of the UX2 any use, or are they just there for show?

7. i have the echo darla sound card (24bit/96khz); if i got the toneport would it be best to dump the darla completely, or still use it as my main sound card?

many many questions, i realise but would be grateful for any anwers. !

thank you...