Absolutely right, that's why I hesitated to even say the words. Clearly though, someone "designed" the "user experience" to such a degree of polish on Palm, and it's a shame to lose it down the memory hole of ex-smartphones:
Video showing card based task switching. It's important to note that these aren't launching, things in cards are apps that are actively running. Also, by throwing away the card, it quits the app, that simple. In Android, some apps have a quit menu item, some don't. By using the "Recent Apps" feature (holding down the home button on my Evo, for instance), it will show you recent apps, but not their state, and it's not known if they're still running or have been shut down or what, it's not a task switcher as much as a history button.