Most of the time I read such posts here it finally boils down to
-not finding/installing applications
-installing wrong applications
-(un)installing applications in the wrong way
or
-not getting along with Linux.

It depends on the user...
Which means you are not a troll.
I did not miss any phone functionality on the N900,
at least none that was working on other phones...

Just wanted to comment here.

I really like this community for being REAL not just being fanboys and always saying that the N900 is the best phone/computer/tablet/smartphone (take your pick hehe)

all the functions you describe i can not comment on, only the gaming but thats mostly the emulators i use like C64, SNES & SEGA etc...

The N900 is the coolest thing i have ever had, thats all i can say.

but again i like that people here are not just saying that the N900 is the best choice.

So again do your research on what YOU need and don't listen to the fanboys out there. (all of them like Apple, HTC, Sony etc..)

I spent 2 mounts looking at about all the phones/smartphones out there before i decided to go with the N900, and i have never regretted it.
Because of the N900 im not using my PC so much any more, the most usage is to convert video to Baseline H.264 for the best results but i can play just about any video file without any problems.

i too own an N900 and can't recammend for you to buy it. i love the phone/tablet/smartphone/splitting hairs but Nokia isn't backing it well. they hardly advertised it which failed to attract developers, the graphics layer isnt a pleasure to use, its not gpu accelerated so kinetic scrolling looks/feels terrible (runs at 15 fps max unless the app runs on Qt) and the UI can stall at times because by default the processor can hardly keep up with it. among that, while it does have a lot of applications, there's not a lot of "apps". those fun, little 5 minute time wasters that everyone loves dont really exist. there also isnt a compression web browser availible so if you're on 2G or 2.5G (and you will be a lot on T-Mo USA) web browsing isnt even worth trying. Opera Mobile has a Turbo mode but i've never gotten it to work, you can also install an emulated copy of Opera Mini but i've also never gotten it to work.

its a great toy to play with and the freedom is limitless, but for a phone, its not worth buying for most people.

And no, i'm not a troll, love the phone and i know my way around Linux. sorry about bad grammar, on the N900 right now actually.

Lol, I don't think it's user error. I have considerable experience using linux, and make my money writing unix tools for the large company I work for.



Here's a quick list of how the N900 is not a good choice as a phone:

1) Dropped calls, calls not successfully completed due to "connection error", etc. This happens on US T-mobile and when I was in Sweden on one of the local carriers with a prepaid card

2) The phone app will constantly get stuck in landscape mode

3) Sometimes the device will not receive calls, I have to reboot it to get it to work again

4) Updates from Nokia are few and far between, with absolutely no word on when the next will bring bug fixes


Why it's not a good tablet:

1) The ovi maps app is horrible. There is no decent alternative that can compete with a competitor's device (google maps on ipad/iphone/android, for instance)

2) Default browser is horribly slow. Opera is a decent alternative but does not appear to be under development anymore. I gave up on using Firefox since start times used to be up to a minute. This may have been fixed

3) Email application is horribly slow, does not send mails with attachments through gmail (messages sit in outbox and show 'failed'), issue is present over wifi/3g/whatever

4) Selection of apps is no where nearly as broad as on competing platforms. This is NOT to say that there are not great quality apps on N900, just that if you're looking for a device with a lot of "day 1" potential without having to spent time writing your own application, this device is not for you


There are a few things the N900 does right:

1) Extensive contact info
2) Integrating IM accounts with stock SMS application, this is awesome!
3) Media player works as expected

There are decent alternatives to the stock apps (which for the most part suck), however most of the alternatives have their own quirks.

The N900 is a great device if you are in to hacking around, however in my experience there are quite a few design flaws that have caused a lot of frustration (missed calls, bad directions from ovi maps, etc). This is a response for the OP, since he/she is considering buying one. I understand that everyone's mileage may vary.

Hi, I'm new here (even though I read community post almost daily) and a bit confused (+ worried)... I'm thinking of buying N900 now..(March 2011) and worried that is it still worth.. I'm a geek, techie and almost involved in some programming (20% of my day), need a most powerful device (competing blackberries, android and apples), fulfilling all my needs mentioned below..
1. Even though all my fav8 app are available and games too, can we be able to run meego apps (in future) natively on Maemo, and are we going to get new apps on Maemo like the android get (not that much but of quality but new).
2. Will Meego will finally come to N900 or not (Not much interested in it but..)
3. Support for known problems ( If I hardly get into and ...phone gets dead).


**If anything in the above conditions fail, is there any compitive phone under $375.. then please tell me (but it should contain almost all functions of n900)..

Eventhough I love N900 and I have used it (from my sis.), I have even use blackberries, android (from my bro), a bit of apple (which is sincerly didnt liked), symbian (I own N97mini), and Maemo.. I found Maemo quiet easy and well made but a bit bulky, dull screen and low battery and old in the market.. which make me worried..and even I buy it by putting my hard saved pocket money whill I still be able to get a new one from the Market now.

Please help me, as I have trust in Maemo cummunity for being my support after I purchase it..

p.s. sorry for my english..(hope you understand my tension)..