I own a Halfway and currently use it as a commuter.

I did do some upgrades though

MKS folding pedals (the stock ones work well, but the rubberized tread wears off quickly)
Dia-Compe Bulldog BMX caliper brake on the front (Explain below)
Serfas RX Saddle (I needed something that didn't jab my butt like the stock seat did)
Shimano 105 derailleur (hold-over until I get a short-cage Tiagra...I just don't trust RDs with that much plastic in them)
Twofish velco bottle cage (mounted on handlebar stem, very practical and very reccomended)

As for the front brake....I feel the front brake ont hese are dangerously weak....there is not enough stopping power, and IMO the bike shouldn't even be on the shelves while it has that oddball caliper it comes with on it. The Bulldog took some serious work to even get to install at all, but I can tell you with that caliper (with the pads dia-compe pre-installed on them), it grips better than the stock "alhonga" caliper with MTB Kool-Stops.

By not enough stopping power i mean over half a block to stop. The rear brake was the primary stopping force, which means I had only 40% of the stopping power I should have. The "you don't need strong brakes up front because you'll flip" story is just that, a story...if you know how to use a front brake properly, it can provide MASSIVE stopping power. It's that stopping power that can very well save someone's life if the need for it arises. That's why to me a front brake is crucial, and should never be compromised.

I'm not done with mounting that caliper though...right now it's a pretty crude mount....secure, but crude. I plan on cutting out an insert for the inside of the fork crown that will assure that the mount is even more secure...I just need to figure out where to get a new digital caliper to measure it all out...my old one seems to be broken

As for the rear brake remining stock on the bike....it's a matter of performance and fit. The caliper is the only one that will fit without obstruction, and when fitted with salmon kool-stops, it has more than enough power to lock the back wheel up....which is plenty. It's that the braking load on the front wheel is so much greater that the flaws int hat caliper design start to show up (too many flex points).

Overall it's a really nice folder, but Giant really must do something about that front brake.