Hello friends. Its my first post here. I'm going to buy N900 tomorrow. As it is a used piece so what should i check before buying it. And one more question should i buy it ? I can't afford N9 so its not even a option for me. Waiting for your answers. Thanks in advance.

What to check:

-Major Scratches in the screen
-If the slider is okay (not too lose)
-Bluetooth and wifi capability
- IR Port capability
-Accelerometer functioning properly
-Camera flash
-All the basic stuff you check for when buying a used item

Should you buy it:

It depends on your preference. Keep in mind that if you're looking for a phone with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) instead of using a terminal to control hardware/software, then don't get it. Though Maemo (its OS) has a strong community that continually works on updating the software for the N900 to keep up with other high end phones, Nokia doesn't fully support maemo anymore. At the end of the day, I don't think there's any phone better than this one out there in the market right now (maybe the N950 but I can't say for sure).

check the usb port make sure it isn"t loose.

my friend
Nokia N900 the best mobile in the world until now
but there are many of people loves Galaxy S2
more than N900

i say n900 is the best so far, i dont say it the best bcs i have one, but i say it bcs its real! it think the only phone could replace it would be n950... but its on developing by devs, not yet on market,

Thanks for reply. The reason i'm buying it is its openness. I can do anything i want. Running 4 Os's. I don't need any GUI. I use phone most to listen songs, surf net, love to play withs phone's Os, do messaging and make/receive calls.

Good choice, N9 is nice but incomplete compared to the N900.
So you buy the complementary device. The N900 is must have. The N9 the complementary gadget.

apart from suggestion made above, don't forget to check the GPS capability too. The GPS module could be broken.
I know this from experience: my third and 2nd 2nd hand N900 does not receive any GPS signal but I learned that too late because the A-GPS functionality gave my some location based on the network but Satelites never worked.
Also carefully check the back with battery lid removed: check for any sign that the device has been opened before. The screws may tell.
Not that this means the device is malfunctioning but it may be worth to reduce the price with such argument.

Apply pressure near the "e" key, see if the sim disappears. I've begun having this recently, and it's probably faulty contacts on some chip.

I agree with most parts to what darkestz said and I'm going to add my own extra information on top of it on what are my own opinions.

For sourcing a second hand N900, if its possible check the hardware revision number on the device. There are three ways that I know of on checking the hardware revision number on the device:

• Running osso-xterm (known as X Terminal) and typing in
  Code:

  cat /proc/cpuinfo

  check for the line where it says "Revision : XXXX" (XXXX is in numeric form).
• Enabling R&D mode, and checking at the bootup screen (where it has white background with blue words NOKIA). You should see the revision number somewhere close to the bottom of the screen.
• Having device plugged into the computer and using the flasher utility to print out hardware revision via
  Code:

  flasher-3.5 -i

In most cases the second and third option are usually unavilable and the seller would not be physically willing to those steps. Only one of the three methods mentioned above should be enough to see which hardware revision the seller has.

Now with the hardware revision, I would personally avoid hardware revisions 2101 and 2104, many users with faulty microUSB port have said their hardware revisions are 2101. Hardware revision number 2104 was reported recently with just one case of slightly faulty TRRS connector.

This is not to say that all N900 with hardware revision 2101 and/or 2104 are faulty or bound to be faulty nor does it imply in any shape or form that they were officially made defective. This is just my opinion from what I have been collectively reading through and asking various owners.

Apart from that you might want to see the provided headset does work with the device along with the microUSB -> USB cable. Also ask if the seller has previously overclocked the device. Overclocking the device may have issues in the long run so it would be wise to see the seller's reaction with answering the question on overclocking.

As for your question on whether or not you should buy the device, you should keep in mind that:

• Nokia no longer officially maintains this device nor the project that empowers this device. As noted by Darkestz. Any issues you may have with this device is only for you to fix, otherwise Nokia care may replace your N900 with some other device which you may not be happy with.
• N900 is not a phone/smartphone. It is an internet tablet with phone functionality. You will see N900 in its pure/stock form that it lacks loads of smartphone functionality such as portrait views, MMS, starhash, etc, etc, etc. These are all the usual features that are missing in N900 so be prepared.
• N900 is predominantly what I would deem as a somewhat more upmarket geek's toy. There are plenty of geek's toy out there and what one may see a device as a geek's toy is different from any others. To me N900's core OS is essentially linux powered which means that ideally you should be familiar with operating with linux environment. Most linux users (or even power users) could easily find themselves at home when using devices powered by linux environment, to others it is a matter of being patient and accomodating themselves so that they can adapt.

hello, hve rev 2101, usb connected at least 3 or 5 time per day.
hve n900 for 2 years.
never had problem ... never have reflashed my box ...
hve last things for a moment :
kp48
CSSU
speedpatch etc ...
Just alway pay attention of what is said right there :-) before doing anything.

is JFY