I opened an E*Trade account almost 10 years ago now, using my Irish cheque book. Maybe things have changes since then?
Positives: You get a US cheque book and US Visa debit card with no charges or stamp duty. Great for ATM withdrawls if you travel to the USA on a regular basis. They also have no monthly account charges.
Negatives: Their charges aren't very competitive for trading US securities. I still have my E*Trade account but now trade via [broken link removed] who are the cheapest US broker I've found that accept non-US accounts (without any monthly fees)
[broken link removed] charge $4.50 per trade and offer 10 free stock trades every month when you maintain a $25,000 balance (cash & securities) or execute 25 trades each month. Option Trades are $4.50 + $0.50 per contract.