I actually was very set on getting the UL20A, with the UL30A-A2, as my second choice about 2 weeks ago. Then I went to a store to demo both the UL30A-A2 and UL20A, and this really changed my mind.
The 1'' difference is similar to the difference between carrying a standard sized printing paper and a folder that holds standard sized A2 printing paper. Personally, the difference in portability was barely negligible. I ended up purchasing the UL30vt and I am planning on getting a neoprene case for it, but right now it slips into my backpack with a textbook and 2 notebooks very easily. Remember, the thicknesses of the 2 laptops are the same, and the slim form factor makes it much smaller than other 13.3'' laptops that I have seen, except for the pricey Macbook Air that I got to demo and a Sony one which I forgot the model name of (both priced at least 2x that of the UL30 with equivalent to inferior specs). Aside from that, the weight differences felt like about .5lb between the UL30 and UL20, not enough for me to personally consider the 12'' model to be significantly more portable.
Also, the UL20 has a slightly smaller keyboard, which didn't feel as natively comfortable for my hands (I wear between a medium and large size latex gloves in my science lab if this helps). The UL30 feels like a full sized laptop's keyboard and I didn't have to make any adjustments really to get used to it. My only qualms with the UL30 keyboard is that sometimes the space bar doesn't register me hitting it, but I've already started adjusting to it and it's only very rare that it happens now.
What I liked about the UL30 really outweighed the small benefits from the extra portability the UL20 offered, which ultimately led to my decision to wait out for the UL30vt. These include: noticeably larger screen for better multitasking and less eye strain, better battery, gaming ability with the VT model, the full-sized keyboard and all this came in still a very portable package within a reasonable price. I was in the market for a portable laptop without sacrificing too much performance, and the UL30vt fits this role flawlessly.
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