Probably not going to sell you on a smartphone but my phone was free as long as I signed up for a two year contract (which means it wasn't really free).  It's not just a phone--it's a full fledged PC in the palm of your hands!  If you can do it on a PC, you can do it on a smart phone.  I don't think I could ever survive without mine now that I've learned what it can do.

• I can take a photo of something and the phone will look it up online
• It has full fledged Netflix (which doesn't interest you.  I know.)
• If a song is playing, I can just hold up my phone and it will look up the song, the artist, the album, the lyrics, etc.
• GPS has guided me on several road trips
• I can program my DVR to record a show in seconds
• download digital comic books and mp3's in seconds
• browse the web (including this site) without losing a single feature
• print a picture by syncing it to a nearby printer
• Free internet radio like Last.FM, Pandora, etc.

I've barely scratched the surface of what these things can do!  Smartphones are different but they make pretty much everything unneccesary.  Everybody I work with has one.  I didn't even want one when I bought one.  I was happy with my PSP.  When my coworkers showed me what I was missing, I was amazed.  It's cool if you don't want one but don't knock it 'til you try it!

For folks wanting to browse whilst gaming (Why would you?) here's how!!!

Wah, you can use the browser while having a game running? Damn, there's so much I don't know about my 3DS yet. I just discovered the game note functionality...

OT:

Don't care much about multimedia functionality when it comes to portable consoles as I buy them to play games. I'm allergic to bad interfaces so that may or may not be a problem, but the stupid proprietary stuff and the lack of BC are my main issues. There are quite a few PSP games that I want to play so I'll probably get a PSP at some point, unless there's...hrm...an emulator out there. I would pay for the games though, even get them new if I can! Promise! So, had the Vita been more like the 3DS in terms of cost, storage and BC then it would had made sense to me to just get a Vita instead.

I don't think all this will be a big problem for Sony though, if they understand that to really compete with the 3DS and other portable devices they'll need a library of good exclusive, portable games. Portable. Home console light games won't sell the system, and while the Vita can have games look close to PS3 games it won't be able to compete with 8th generation consoles. It needs games that are only available on Vita, great games that people wants to play, games that fits the format. And they can't just sit and roll their thumbs waiting for Capcom to give them their blessing (a blessing that might just go to somebody else if the pay is good), they have to come up with some system sellers of their own!

Another review with a major flaw - it assumes that all portable gaming capable devices should be targeting the same mass audience. This isn't the case. The games on a smartphone or iPad are fine (and I have both those gaming options) but the Vita (and the 3DS) are not targeted to support the same audience and experience.

I don't know if the Vita will succeed or not - that depends on the true addressable market for the experience it does offer. But I do know that reviews focusing on the device it terms of what it doesn't ( by design) offer written for an audience already not interested in the device rather than the audience that might be is pretty useless.

where can I find a quad core device for $250 besides the Vita?

Some points are quite valid for people that don't spend most of their time checking video game sales sites, when they are not playing video games.

.. all these complaints people will find out soon enough.. I cant wait to see the WW units sold already lol..

if it doesnt sell well.. hey its good for everybody.. price drop for everyone!.. seeing as some of you think sony is not making that much of a loss on it already right.. haha good luck sony.

yeah because millions of people bough Uncharted 1 and 2 for their multiplayer

There are in your list some interesting features, like the DVR programming one and taking a photo and having it searched (I didn't know that capability is already up and running reliably though). I don't like the GPS trend the workd is taking, I much prefer to use a map but figure out where I am and what route to take myself; I know I will be defeated by GPS eventually, but not yet.

Anyway, I like what Smartphones can do, and it's all cool and great, but I just don't (really) want one.

Lets just hope Sony is ready to make Vita an eveloving platform. These issues and future problems can be easily mended, but Sony has to stay open to everything.

The biggest challenge right now is that Smart Phones are looking at Quad core CPU/GPU set ups, with 1GB or more memory, and they will only be coming a few months after Vita. These phones will be seeing huge press right around the WW launch, and could very easily shift peoples focus. Within a year Phones will destroy Vita in performance, and that is when Sony is going to have to evolve the platform.

I think the only chance they stand is to push vita like their iPhone/WinPhone8. Their only advantage if the platform stays constant even with the phone upgrade is single archetecture development. Even on that front, I expect Phones to be able to beat vitas best, just because of raw performance in 2 years time. I would even see PS3/Ports possible on phones in 2 or 3 years time.