Looks pretty cool to me. A co-worker actually waited "in line" (there was no line, but he was there for the opening, just in case) to get one of the first.
The hardware is very solid, if a bit dated looking (reminds me of a 70's era HP calculator). He had some kind of screen privacy filter, which made the screen seem very unresponsive and dulled the images. So, I'll reserve judgment until I've had a chance to play with a stock unit. But it certainly looks like a legit iPhone competitor. I was looking for an Android phone not made by HTC before I seriously considered it, and now I know it was worth the wait.
So far i'm impressed. To address the issue you mentioned with the screen: I have had an Ipod touch (2 of them, 1g, 2g), and comparing the touch screen with that, it seems very similar as far as how it 'feels', accuracy, and responsiveness. The screen is made of glass, so it has an iphone feel. It nust have been the screen protector that made it feel weird to you.
I have been wanting an iphone, but just could not switch to AT&T, due to the service in my area. I would also need a ton of minutes because pretty much everyone i talk to is with verizon, so we talk free.
I was not looking for an 'iphone killer' (as so many people put it), but rather a phone that will do most of the iphone things, but on verizon. So far the only 'hickup' i have had was getting my itunes on it, an that was solved with a free program called 'double twist).
If any one has one on here, please share. I would love to find more ways to incorporate and use ti with OS x.