I'd like to address some of the usual bugbears (and inadvertent strawmen).

1) I'd only buy N900 with cellular radio

Good news, you can! There are also Androids and whatnot. The whole point of the exercise is to provide alternative feature set at alternative price point (cellular certification is more rigorous) and perhaps slightly different physical format as well.

2) No WIFI everywhere...

If you depend on always-on connection, either tether (you'd have two batteries...) or get a unified device like N900.

3) Busses, maps, GPS...

In first world cities and even long-haul routes WIFI is increasingly available even on public transport. Still, if you don't need to make those elusive video calls while sitting in a bus you still can use the tablet device in thousands of imaginative ways to entertain or educate yourself (and your neigbours). I'd still carry my slim and inexpensive mobile phone (with long battery life) around though; Skype etc. calls work just fine even with Bluetooth tethering and old-school EDGE connection (I've even dunnit in the Himalays!).

Incidentally a certain Finnish mobile phone manufacturer recently paid billions to buy a Very Large Map Company. Google Maps is cool, but you need either higher-end mobile phone with data contract or WIFI to use it. Nokia companion tablet with preloaded or downloadable Navteq maps and a GPS chip? How does one abbreviate Unique Selling Point?

In the past I've detailed various other pros for the alternative mobile companion approach, the most significant for Nokia being the ability to protect their lower-end S40 and Symbian marketshare and user-base with a lower-cost and shareable smart/tablet device. (get higher-end features on a relative shoestring...)

Cheaper and more ubiqitous tablet companions would also result in more Mae.. Meego platform support while balancing the current competitive marketshare balance. Esp. open-source developers might prefer cheaper devices, meaning they could also afford to buy newer versions more often (not least because contracts tend to run for up to 2 years!). E.g. RIM are rumoured to be introducing a tablet companion to their blackberry users. Maybe their guys have actually lurked here and listened to users??

Nokia has shown zero interest since prematurely killing the N8x0 line, but perhaps other 3rd party manufacturers will step in to cater to the segment. Unfortunately they may not enjoy Nokia's economies-of-scale in manufacturing (although their profit-margin requirements may likewise be far more moderate) or have adequate access or motivation to fully integrate the symbiotic tablet-phone tethering experience (as unfortunately Nokia never did).

I used to use the combination of N810 + E51, but the bluetooth tethering wasn't really a very good solution in practise:
- The E51 having to maintain both 3G and BT connection sucked the battery empty extremely fast (a few hours tops even with almost zero traffic, ie. maintaining an open SSH connection)
- Occasional problems with the tethering, like the BT stack on E51 hanging and needing a reboot or connecting taking a long time
- Increased latency and very limited bandwidth caused by the BT link
- Having to carry and charge two devices instead of one

Where I live (eastern Finland) GSM/3G is the only way to get an useable data connection outside home. Just a a few weeks ago I was rowing in the middle of a lake and got a skype message to my N900, thanks to the mobile connection. I can also open an SSH connection to my home server when I leave home and the connection is still working after traveling 80km to the summer place. A mobile connection is just so hassle free and easy to use that even if a free, open wifi would be available somewhere, connecting and disconnecting it is not worth the hassle for me when I can just use the mobile connection instantly whenever I need it. Even any speed gain is typically negated by the time it takes to connect to the wifi network (though this depends alot on what I'd be doing).

So, no, I definately would not want to go back to a device with no 3G/GSM data capability. No voice might be ok, though I'd prefer not to have to carry two devices and if there is a 3G/GSM radio in the device then why not use it for voice calls as well.

Well, since it IS summer, I'd like to sign up for the Dan Ramos camp. I loved my N800 and am thoroughly enjoying my recently eBay'd N810.

My wish for my next tablet remains: A docking station with USB hub and real video out (so I can plop my tablet into it and presto: desktop computer with no need to sync anything). I'd even go one step further than Dan - - I think a 7" machine can work. Some are only a little bigger than the N800 in size (Archos Home Tablet is an example, though it will not be my choice) and can fit nicely into a cargo pocket. Build one of those for a reasonable price and I'll look into getting some cargo pants.

[QUOTE=danramos;723964I, for one, prefer the demarcation of devices and the security of knowing that if I run out the battery playing games or video, I STILL have a teeny tiny cell phone on my hip with a charged battery and I can get out an emergency call for an ambulance if I get my arm stuck in a furnace.

Opinions? [/QUOTE]

My cell phone broke recently and I could have replaced it with any phone that works with Verizon. I went on eBay and bought a new phone that is exactly what I have been using, an LG-vx 8350.