The 16 month old Device
"Why that 16-month-old device and not something else was not immediately clear"
Who cares??? Why have to release a phone for every new OS? I LOVE the fact that a phone I already have could run this if I want it to! Seems to me it makes good environmental sense to show people that this OS can run on something you already have and you don't have to wait to get a new phone and thus add to the electronic landfill in order to get on board with it if you want to.
Biggest thing that excites me about this is getting to have the entire screen at my disposal instead of having to lose the top and bottom to Android's UI buttons that are always pinned there. As I watched the keynote address and they showed the Nexus phone basically doing full screen with all of those apps, it made me pick up my phone, turn it on, look at it, and think, "Hmmmm...would be nice to have that full screen all to myself!"
I am debating on whether or not I will give it a go on my phone. I already am running it unlocked and with a stock image of Jelly Bean, but this raises an eyebrow and makes me wonder...