Judging from the comments, and my own personal feelings, some of us are not upset at the specs (which are pretty close to my GS3 which I absolutely love and is quick enough for anything), we're upset that the price point does not MATCH the specs. This phone would be awesome off-contract at $299 and I'd have one ordered the second it was available. I'm not, however, going to spend premium prices for a mid-range phone. Tha'ts what some of us are upset about.
edited to add: I also dislike carrier exclusives. It's not something I expected Google to pull. Also, being on Verizon, I don't hold out any hope for relief through Play Store means.