WP7 unique?
"Am I remotely interested in Windows 7 Phone - no, not at all. MS Mobile 5/6 was hideous, and everything has just moved on past Microsoft since."
Oh dear, such a closed mind. I've never had a Windows Phone but that may change depending on how it goes when it's released. My contract is up in November, so I was initially considering the Apple option - the problems they've been having lately has somewhat altered my view. So it's between Android and WP7. Although Android has a rather 'old' interface.
But going back to your comment, what has MS Mobile 5/6 got to do with WP7? If you did a bit more research you'd realise that the OS is a complete rethink from the ground up.
I am certainly intrigued about the OS/interface - it's clear there's nothing like it at the moment - a definite rethink of the rather tired looking icon-based derivatives we see in Android, IOS etc.
I agree MS are behind in the game though - a lot of catching up to do! - but I applaud their attempts to innovate rather than sticking with Mobile 6.
But we will see...