"It was a little more like being barefoot than regular shoes but was way more like being in shoes than being barefooted."

I'm a big fan of VFFS (vibram five finger shoes) and I can attest that you can feel terrain changes through vibrams, this also means that you will watch where you step to avoid the occasional large rock, etc which can be extremely uncomfortable.

Barefoot shoes provide much of the positives highlighted in this article while dramatically reducing your exposure to the perils of walking barefoot, I'd recommend the author give them another chance.