I have an n900, which I loved for a while, but got really sick of having to keep charging it every night, so I ended up using an e71 I got given by somebody who upgraded theirs. I also got a Motorola Xoom a year ago, flying out from Heathrow. About Xmas time this year, the n900 battery ran out, and I think I only ever recharged and switched it on once since then. Last week, I charged it up and switched it back on, and was surprised (not) to see that there was only one update for it. I'm taking that to mean that development has now almost completely ground to a halt.

So, the e71 is starting to crackle a bit, and although I'd expected the n900 to be the phone for me for a while - I really find having a device that has stalled in this way, that I need to recharge every night, isn't an attractive alternative. Which leaves android ICS, I guess. But, I though that before I spend money on a new smartphone, I'd check it out here.

I know I can still use the vanilla n900 maemo 5 much the same as I could a year or so back - if I want to. But of all the various hacks around - Mer, Nitdroid, even the CSSU - do any of them offer me any benefits and allow me to use the thing in the way I could use a new android phone? That is, as a mini-tablet computer that I can also use to make calls via a mobile network, browse, text, and so on.

I'd appreciate a straight yes or no type answer, not that I am wrong for asking this sort of question (which was one of the reasons I stopped posting and reading this forum a year ago).

Mish.