My take on this issue is that most users here want a pocketable Linux device more than a 'smartphone'. They want something they can tag around in their pocket and hack around/dev with, than to do 'smartphone-y' stuffs like a proper PIM using advanced phone functions and such.

We're talking about completely different paradigms.

A full blown *nix without a good amount of modifications to adapt it for a pocketable's requirement can be painful to use, as many of us have found. Nokia/maemo is still not yet 'there' on this iteration.

Personally I think a smartphone interface is REQUIRED for pocketable device which you use on the go. Unless you sit down all day in front of the device, which you might better off doing in front of a real machine anyway.