Hi Greedness,

I suggest you look in your direct neighborhood for a try before you buy 2nd hand N900.

I have 6 N900 now, of which 4 I have paid under 200 USD, 2 only 60 USD.

At this price point there is no reason not to own an N900 is there?

Just take your time to find a cheap and clean one with a USB port that is still firmly attached.

The saved cash I suggest you to invest in a Mugen battery as the standard battery on the N900 is too weak in combination with overclock and multitasking.

http://www.mugen-power-batteries.com.../?q=mugen+n900



As you mention the form factor is a point of attraction and that is important.

I think after the current anorexic period devices will start to resemble the N900 again.

Yes, the N900 is slower but at least it provides the user a sturdy feeling of being control than most of the faster devices that just do what they (Apple or Google) want:

I have the chance to use the Galaxy Note II daily but I still prefer the feel of the N900.

form factor once called a brick is undeniable more ergonomic than the flat types
battery removable
screen estate overview thanks to HW keyboard
efficient application switching
ctrl-v / ctrl-c is very consistent
selecting text via virtual cursor
infrared / FM
document scanner functionality (Frontview: again great control thanks to resistive display)
built in Jabber / SIP / Skype / Phone -> real communication centered device.
internet radio soft built in (buffer is better in low speed connections than Airstream 10 or Symbian)

I write this since I honestly still prefer to use the N900 for surfing mobile compared to that Galaxy Note II of my GF.
I don't use it as a main phone: I have the 808 because the camera is too good compared to anything else.

But for mobile office work I use the N900 or a laptop.
For email I use Zoho.com: web based thin client that can include your other (pop3) mailboxes and that may be one of the reasons I can still get along so well with the N900.

Success.