In these examples I see real-world textures, gradient overlays, gloss, drop shadows, etc. Most of these aren't "flat" as much as they are bold and somewhat minimalist. And they pay attention to their use of whitespace and fonts.

I also see a general aesthetic that most of web design fits into. Hacker News? Flat before flat was flat! And Yahoo! (http://web.archive.org/web/19961128070641/http://www8.yahoo....) -- seventeen years ahead of the curve!

Anyway: I love talking design, but could we elevate the conversation a bit beyond "hey, look: flat design is trendy."