.Net Micro framework is being actively used and there are a lot of code samples available.I'm also looking at the .NET micro framework, but havent seen any real solutions yet that people are using it actively.
I'm using the Fez Panda to count pulses from the electricity/gas/water meters, and provides those values over serial. This whole setup is less then 40 euro, so from a cost point of view there is an advantage.