Yeah I really like not having a touchscreen that I have to worry about bumping while I'm reading, a backlight is the only addition I would enjoy to the current x4
if its still as open, I'm pretty sure the touchscreen can be worked out to work well.
but I really agree with you, I'd love to have a frontlight on it. That's literally all I'd wanted over the current device. No touchscreen necessary.
but between touchscreen + frontlight and neither, perhaps I'd be willing to have a touchscreen so long as the software is good (which something like crosspoint I'm sure would nail)
Every item you add to the device adds a failure mode. Light is fine. Touch ... I don't know. I like the tactile feel of buttons.
And Android means the device no longer runs on a microcontroller which has consequences for battery life etc. As long as they keep the original, minimal model active with minor QoL improvements, I guess it is fine.
They also have already announced the S4 that is basically the same device, a bit ticker with touch and backlight and running android.