The K-m marks the 1st good looking Pentax DSLR for me. I never care for the mono-top LCD much. In the film days, it is the only way to see your information and is required. But today with massive 2.5 - 3" LCD, I can get more visual information without straining my eyes.
I believe Konica Minolta 5D was the 1st DSLR ditching the top LCD, followed by Rebel XTi, then Nikon finally got into the act with their D40/D40x/D60 lines. I'm glad Pentax is finally on board. If you want to sell well in this entry-level market, ditching the old look is required.
Serious Professional camera will probably always retained their top mono-lcd:
the Canon 5DII, Canon 50D, Nikon D700/D300/D90, Pentax K20 etc...
But entry-level should shred this bulk for smaller design, like the:
Canon XSi/XS, Nikon D40/D40x/D60, Olympus 420/520, Sony A200, and now Pentax K-m.
I hope the USD price is reasonable, I buy one to see how the pentax world feel like.