There's an insoluble issue in that making permissions super granular - what you really need for good security - makes them unusable for Joe public, because he can't understand them. Heck, most people probably don't understand the very broad ones that Android has now.

Maybe whats needed is more of a trust model. Users could ask "what would Bruce Schneier do" for example. If Bruce [substitute trusted person of your choice] would install this app, then I'm happy to do it as well.