+1 for something like this. Sounds useful

To extend the idea, I'd be happy with one desktop and be able to swipe between full screen apps.

I've only got a couple of applets running (to save power) and a few shortcuts on my 'home' desktop, then use the menu (MyMenu) for running most apps. So I hardly ever use my other 3 desktops.

Swiping between apps and the desktop would be cool - maybe using the top menu/status bar as the swipe area.