I like to think of the device on the same terms as any other computer I buy. It's a reasonable bunch of hardware with which I can do whatever I want because Nokia is fairly open with it and provides us with the necessary tools.
For example, one can go so far as installing a new bootloader and operating system. (Eg: Android or Debian). This can be done without Nokia getting angry and trying to threaten people.

In that way, I personally have no trouble whatsoever with my N810, although Maemo is a bit on the heavy side for now. I still like Maemo, though. That may be since I develop with desktop Linux stuff so I'm a bit of a cheerleader for the different technologies employed in Maemo, like Telepathy and GTK+.