I am really keen on getting a maemo5/Omap3 NIT, but am ignorant of phones for the following reasons:

1. I have never bought a smart-phone because i don't like phones, they are mere devices rather than flexible platforms like my beloved computers. (i have three computers and a netbook).

2. I also dislike being contracted into paying for a service, especially when that service is tied to me in a way that makes me 'visible'. (my phone is a £15 nokia orange PayG phone).

For this reason I have always had unregistered pay-as-you-go phones historically, and am woefully ignorant about smart-phones.
I am a net addict and have been really impressed by the iphone, but not enough to buy for the reasons listed above; its just a clever device, and you need a contract to make use of all the web services that make it great.

Why then am i interested in a nokia n900?

1. Because the n900 is the closest i have found to a phone which is also an honest-to-god computer rather than just a fancy device.

2. Because I [[hope]] that i will be able to use that open computer'iness to replicate the Web 2.0 functionality of current smart-phones with an unregistered pay-as-you-go sim.

I am hoping i can acquire a pay-as-you-go sim with internet ability.
I am hoping i can use local OSM maps cached on the n900 for navigation.
I am hoping the maemo/Ovi application development community can compete with the iphone app store.

If this isn't possible then i have to weigh up my dislike of service contracts against the ability to make the most of my new web-enabled n900 computer-phone......................
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So, after all this rambling what questions do i really want you to help me answer, well here it is:

a) Can i get a pay-as-you-go 3G sim that will enable all the web-services available on the n900?
b) Can things like caching openstreetmaps locally alleviate the high data costs associated with PayG data plans and still maintain the Web2.0 experience? (not too bothered by web video)
c) If yes to (a), are these sims/phones available in high street stores like WHSmiths so i can wangle an unregistered one?
d) If no to (a) does purchasing an unlocked n900 seem like a daft idea to YOU, and should i really consider a contract despite my stated dislike?

Many thanks