[gehant]

their design is a serious mistake that makes me question the vision behind the entire operation

IMHO, you're in the weeds about the vision of this device, the true disruptive potential doesn't have to do with out-designing Apple.

I also got to see a few of these throughout the weekend...there are ~15,000+ and they are unlocked. If Google goes to market (direct-to-consumer), priced above true cost & free from contract - instead of the absolute BS games that wireless providers have been stringing out - that is seriously disrupting the market.

To be honest, buttons are the last thing I would be worried about if Google turns the market on it's head. That said, they might, they might not, but the possibility has me curious until the actual release.

[houseabsolute]

There is a reason why all the carriers in the US subsidize phones with long contracts. The reason is that Americans like to spread out their purchases. Offering the opportunity to not do so isn't going to have a major impact because too few people want to buy their phone outright for it to matter.

In any case, the vision I'm questioning is the design vision. If the sales method were the only novel thing about this device, Google could as easily have paid another company to release their newest phone through Google's portal instead of directly through the network.