Where you said "week", I say "month".
But I agree that sometimes change is not bad, but only takes some getting used to. However, there are cases where change is indeed quite bad: the new Google Maps is a step back compared to the previous version, and our beloved slashdot beta would be a step back too.
Looking at the screenshot, I would want some features (logout, preferences) near the top-right corner, like on each and every other website on this planet. Also, I want to access sent mail in 1 click. All other stuff is free for the marketing gurus to play with.
The main question I have is: does it improve anything for me? (And also, since this is a prototype, I wonder how much this will be watered down until I get it on my screen).