N9 is really bad all over. Unibody crap! Meego is ok but nokia can't build phones anymore. If you find a n900. Get it.

Neither. If you want a reliable phone that does everything with a breeze, go for iphone 4S.

If you want to feel like you are waterboarding, get an N9. My N9 bricked after pr1.2 update, sent it to PALCO and they fixed it. Didnt have any mods, only downloaded apps from the store, go figure. The typing is inferior to iphone 4S, browser is a joke and call quality inferior to iphones (how did NOKIA screw up call quality??). I do like the notification screen that is always on and I do like one in all messaging thread that has gtalk, skype and texts. Will get rid of it to one of my kids if they want it.

My N900 USB port fell out after 2 years of use, and I would be extremely cautious in getting a used N900, as likelihood of getting a unit with defective USB port is close to 20%

I bought a few-month-old N9 64gb a week ago, and so far I am completely content with it. Though I am surely planning to make some tweaks on it in the near future (maybe even develop apps), I still need to have it reliable - haven't bought it as a toy to play with.

I don't get how you people can compare it to Android. On one hand, OK Aegis does limit you, but on the other at least you have some control over the device. No need for whatever account to use it, an access to its root filesystem, a basic terminal, in fact it's easily flashable, lots of opensource code.. those are things which Android doesn't have.

Last month I chose for a brand new (second) N900, which is still available here btw. I leave N9 for what it is.

I intended to have it as a backup phone for when my first one dies. But now I'm bringing two with me every time and play with links between them etc.

What I like very much about the N900 is its stereo speakers, keyboard, ability to design your own desktop, skype facility and ofcourse the stylus. I would recommend to prepare all usb connectors tho! so that only a minimum of force is effectuated upon this connection. If you trim the connectors teeth back I think you should be good to go.

i believe whoever owns N900 and knows how to drive it ,will never accept anything else other than that.it is simply a great device !

after me is better 3 secondhand n900 than one new n9.

I'm surprised you didn't suggest a Lumia phone, then again astro-turfing is a subtle art
I call BS on your iP4S claims... I own an iTouch 5G and there's no way the VKB is better.
I don't have the iP4S but a relative does (same carrier), & there's no way his reception's better than my N9.
Nope, cellular reception is amongst the very best out there....
Now if you're talking about WiFi, it is sub-par compared to many smartphones.
It's rumored that it was deliberately weakened much more than cellular, in order to keep radiation levels down.
If true, then hopefully some hacks will soon improve it's performance.
As for your bricking problems, well, simply put you can do more "under the hood" than one can w/iOS (OOTB).
This also means you're much more susceptible to instability issues.
I don't reckon you didn't do any tweaks/hacks, or didn't d'load from external sources.
It's not like you've got any credibility, given your history of posts from almost day one.
I reckon you did, & then forgot (purposefully?) to reset to factory default (& BU ofc) b4 updating.
Stock browser feature-set is bad, but Fennec's improving "lots", & eventually we'll have Gecko w/native UI.
You already said you gave your N9 to one of your kids, loose w/the truth again are we.

@OP

N900's still a great device, I have/use mine. There's no such thing as a phone that's best for everyone.
Everyone has a very different extended set of things that are most important for their day-to-day usage.
Given that, there's no way anyone can tell you which phone is best for you.
Asking people to tell you what to get makes no sense, I don't understand why people start those threads.

I don't see the point in this, but as it's the intent of your thread here's my answer.
If you're someone who doesn't consider themselves technical, & if you're not likely to operate a phone outside the norms of it's stock config*
Then the i4PS or a top-end Android phone is a "no brainer". Especially if the N9's not in you country.
Personally I'd chose an Android, the iP4S was a disappointing leap, but you can't go wrong with either.
WP isn't there yet, it may finally get vaguely interesting with WP8x, but that remains to be seen.

*& by that I don't just mean d'loading/installing apps from the Store!

*EDIT*
I actually just read the original post....
It was posted very soon after the N9 first started becoming widely avail (in some countries).
It was also asking what it's like from a developers POV...
So whoever revived this thread, did so for pointless reasons...
As all the posts since, have been entirely out-of-line with what the OP was actually asking.
The OP's intent wasn't to discuss "the best smartphone", but which is best for dev work, the N900 or N9.
It's already been solidly argued throughout the course of this thread, that the N900's better for dev work.
Things have improved for the N9 in that area since October, but it's still pretty hard to argue it's better.

I personally love my N900 and know I will love the N9 as well. I have AT&T and love the ability to use my 'dumb-phone' $10/month unlimited data plan with my Nokia smartphones. My question regarding the N9 is this: can anyone that uses the N9 on AT&T confirm or deny that the N9 is capable of using AT&T's HSPA+ fauxG network? I think I'll buy the phone if I could use it as a Wi-Fi hotspot @ around 14mbps down. If it's plain old 3G, I'll have to pass and may consider the Lumia 800 (despite the lack of front facing cam). Thanks for any help.

http://www.developer.nokia.com/Devic...ifications/N9/

As I recall 800 isn't capable of HSPA+, & some quick searching confirms that:
https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF...ia+800+hspa%2B
http://forums.wpcentral.com/lumia-800/187038.htm

Device specs:
http://www.developer.nokia.com/Devic...ons/Lumia_800/
http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/...pecifications/

More detailed def. of HSDPA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Sp..._Packet_Access
And of HSPA+....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolved_HSPA

IIRC the 900 may be (& there's LTE version coming to some markets), but not the 800.
They're both still quad band too IIRC (not an issue for many).
This isn't the thread to be asking (see OP for focus of this thread), there are AT&T threads.

I am familiar with the specs of the device. Technically speaking, the pentaband radio is indeed compatible with AT&T's HSPA+ network, but I'm asking for feedback from people who have used the device on the network, in case they've experienced anything different. I wouldn't want to make such a hefty investment just to return the product.