Counting steps is like counting sheep: the more you count, the more tired you will get. It's not like step 4 is nothing and step 5 is everything and there would be no step 6. Just hop along ... and enjoy the ride.

No, and the discussion about what step the RX-51 represented took place well after it was made clear that Elephanta had been cancelled. Maemo 5 and the RX-51 are step 4.

The relevant morphing and changing took place before it was made clear Maemo 5 with the RX-51 was step 4.

Missed the boat on what? It isn't as if the whole market's suddenly going to dry up in the next 6 months.

I didn't see that in the Nokia materials! When will it be released and can it fit in my pocket??

Every time you ask the price goes up $1000 and they add another 6 months to the release date.

I'm reasonably certain many people have been saying that and are now unable to find employment. It's not like he didn't have a valid point, under the global circumstances.

My turn. I read all the post and I only wanna say one thing: the economic situation is not going to make people buy cheaper, but buy beater. We got used to change phones and tablets every year and pay 700 bugs for a new device simply because it was a little bit faster or had another color. But devices are getting the point watches got long ago. All watches give you the hour. So the point now is what watch I buy that is durable, I can feel proud with. If N900 manages to be a long selling device it will last against its only competition iPhone. If not it will happen to it the same that with the rest of the industry: too many diferent systems that don't last enough to have a strong comunity creating software on it.

So after a year and a half, N900 needs to:
1) Have an almost perfect keyboard you can use as fast as a computers one (n810 keyboard is not sensible enough).
2) Cool interface.
3) Great connection with your Nokia phone: That means you shouldn't even take your phone out of your pocket to use it: PIM editing and call through bluetooth.
4) portrait and landscape modes. Shouldn't have to use both hands.
5) Cool exterior. Must fell durable.
6) Intelligent elections: Use of MiniUSB instead of MicroUSB makes it unnecessary to carry arround a wire. Use of SD Cards or MicroSD cards make you able to have more HD available or at least it doesn't make you carry an stupid Mini-Micro converter.
7) A little bit bigger screen will not harm if weight is not affected.
8) Look and Feel: All major projects such as Canola or a PIM should feel integrated.
9) Abandon stupid restrictions: Surely Phones/iPhones way to startup aplications are better for a touchable tablet that the windows/kde like Start button of Maemo (needless to say that the three start buttons are horrible). Don't be afraid to try new things but never be afraid to turn back when those prove to be worse.

or perhaps - is Samsung faster with this innovation in 2009 - as the Nokia N900 availability - I hope not

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/09/o...exible-screen/

I think at some point we have to stop using the step 1 to 5 analogy. This analogy was presented when? Was it the Web2.0 event in end of 2007? Obviously, a lot of things have changed, both in Maemo evolution and in the industry since then. What is it we are trying to identify by step 4 and step 5. Step 5 being the final step of ???

I think foldable screens have the potential to turn a smartphone into a internet tablet competitor.