I also think they look dated, especially compared to the rest of the stunning interface.

I like the applications menu and think it's great that the icons are similar to s60 to give a familiar feel and a "Nokia family feel", but I'm sure they could be given a fresher look without loosing that? After all, Maemo5 is new, fresh, fun and a huge step-up from s60.. Shouldn't the applications screen give that impression as well?