I just got both the maximus avr usb 1.2 with atmel and pic boards. They both update. Plus you can take them out after boot-up. http://maxavrusb.blogspot.com/
But i think i loaded the wrong hex (kakaroto pl3 maximus?) onto the atmel, because it won't let me update it anymore. Still works. Hermes 4b works on Atmel too, no prob
And iLLness support would be nice for the 32kb pic board. I don't want to break another board.
More Maximus support in general!

