Is it just me, but now that they are actually selling the things, shouldn't the full hardware specifications be made available to allow we pre-order people to make an (more) informed choice about whether to proceed or not?

Wasn't hardware specification always a little secret before the spec race?

Sure. But not once a product was actually for sale.

Maybe ask them? The product is not technically on sale to the public, this counts as a private sale, and one could assume that the phone works for every operator of the country you are buying from. More specific technical details should come in a manual or something... and we'll get some sort of manual this week apparently.

You're absolutely right on that. The full spec spreadsheet would be nice to take a look at.

>this counts as a private sale,

On what basis do you make that assertion?

Frankly, isn't the hardware equal to your average generic China phone?
I know the camera will suck somewhat, that there there is no keyboard, that there probably is no FM transmitter.

Leaves the LCD to top the balance.
Although confirmed IPS, the LCD should be tested by looking it in eye and see if it will serve to share daily joys with.
Last time that I trusted blindly that it would be ok, it was far from OK and I had to resell the device (N9)

Software specs would be more interesting.
After all I think we buy this device for the software.

On Thursday I will be checking here to find a listing of the initial Sailfish integrated services + security features.

Also I wonder how the Android apps that use camera and integrated microphone will behave (like Jitsi alpha XMPP for example)

Ordered, #1619.

Ordered + Paid #1618

You can't buy if you haven't got an invitation... that's a private sale. Still, they have to give you reasonable details of what you are buying, which won't mean that they'll say exactly how many transistors the phone has ;-)