Nokia has the IP for the UI so it only makes sense. Currently it's not bad, not Swipe makes a lot more sense given how much visual phone UI development and marketing is going.

The Smarterphone acquisition was probably the non-legacy developers to get this UI pushed out the door without the political pressure from MeeGo and S40 teams that don't like the Window Phone direction.

As for the offerings, they will be decent mobiles, bit probably too tired to Nokia services to be as freeing as this level of mobile usually are. The platform will be open enough to let that happen... at least not right now.