I remember coming across that youtube video, and also a blog entry somewhere about the hooked needles and have also had my eyes out for them.
I just did a quick google search and found this yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/knitti...h_crochethook/
They have a picture of the portuguese needles and they look like the ones at the lacis site.
Totally my .02: I think that the portuguese knitting needles are made to be worked like double points, since the lacis site sells each size in packs of 4 or 5. Knitting continental style, you wouldn't have to pick the yarn, only hook it and bring it through, making the motions simpler and faster, and if there's a hook on one end and a needle tip on the other, the hook wouldn't get in the way when working circular items, only when working back and forth.