Convince I am that I am the last to find the answer to some problems. I texted my peer Android users about this annoyance, the “slide to unlock” feature, but they were unaware of this app, if you are, test it out.
After all, the tiny power button seems to ensure not turning it on by accident.
No Lock addresses this issue and provides a handy 1×1 widget. You could find the same feature on Tasker, but I haven’t purchased that yet.