Gonna disagree with you somewhat here. Where we agree; they need to do something different/new indeed. They did that with "The Other Half" on the initial release, but it's been some years since that first came out.

Now? They need to put something in the hands of folks that's a bit more up-to-date - specs is an argument I'll not venture into since honestly it's not the older phone and thus "new".

Where we disagree; I think this stalls a lot of the naysayers once these devices have been delivered and the company can be seen as moving forward past this tablet non-delivery. This is a necessary and visible move, but it's less about the hardware than it is about maintaining their position and intent to become an alternative solution than iOS and Android.

While I'd love to have seen a device that incorporates Kinect-like touch-less gestures - I hate touching my phone and leaving fingerprints when I need quick information and it's on my desk. Or I'd love to have seen a device that sorta breaks the mold like the vaporware Ubuntu Edge looked to do with some killer specs and industrial design - again, we knew that it was not going to make it at that campaign price. But at the end of the day, I see this as a way to stay relevant. Seems to be working; this thread as evidence.

Now let's hope the people with the devices endeavor to make something memorable as opposed to folks that just argue ad nauseum just to be right about something. I've no time or temperament to deal with that level of folly. I'd just rather deal with stuff that makes sense and has an impact.