"why you're looking forward to seeing Snapdragon 800 in phones and tablets this year" -- because Qualcomm's chips ride the front end of the advancing technology wave. They're not simply repackaged ARM chips, there is tremendous thought/effort put into designing these chips. Of course it also pushes the competition to do more, which is great for everyone.
Also I've only used Nexus devices, and after the Nexus One I've been missing Qualcomm chips, having used a Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, it was great to be back to using a Snapdragon processor with my Nexus 4, which has been so much better than the Galaxy Nexus. I can only imagine how great this Snapdragon 800 series will be, in tablet or phone.