It seems like the N9 solves these types of problems perfectly. Three dedicated home screens in 'carousel', each with vertical scrolling, no other menus and a swipe to exit an app. Very simple but very powerful. Every screen is at max two swipes away and usually just one, from an app. Can't wait to try it out, it might not work as well as it seems.
I also like their idea of 'just swipe'. But I see one big issue - phone cases. Swiping from the edge of the screen is very difficult when you have a protective case.
