They also have a newer model Astro Slide, but it's significantly more expensive and has availability problems. I've had one since Christmas or so, though, and I'm happy with it. CC is fine as well, and indeed the sale seems quite good.
(I used to have their first phone as well, but truly AS would have been a much better first device to bring to the market, there really aren't any fundamental flaws in it in my view.)
I do think the idea behind snap isn't all about pushing the Linux platform as such forward, but to specifically gain a market advantage to Ubuntu.
Why else is finding documentation for changing the default store so difficult? And I don't think you can even have multiple "repositories" there--quite unlike all other Linux packaging systems out there. (Corrections welcome!)