If it performs well, then it would fill a badly-needed niche between the high end portables like the E1 and the desktops such as the R75, Drakes, ect. Right now, that end of the market is terribly thin. And let's face it, most folks really don't know how and when to use sync - or DSP filtering, for that matter - properly anyway - why put something in that might confuse a newcomer?
For a starter radio, it's not bad. Let's wait for the reviews, particularly when Passport puts it through the cruncher, and see what develops. My concerns would be having the same QC issues with displays, ect., going out or developing lines like the E1 has had.
73 Mike