I was going to avoid the cost side of it by buying one used on ebay.

Though, with this news bit:

http://linuxuk.org/node/65

I had an idea wondering how hard it'd be to:

• add USB Mobile Modem support to the N800 (or N810)
• add an "access point" mode to them (either via the internal wifi, or via an external USB wifi dongle)
• add a mode for acting as a Bluetooth DUN _host_ (instead of device) (maybe PAN as well), if you can't do the wifi access point
• add a light-weight SIP server to it, that can use a USB modem for voice calls
• add a light-weight Jabber server that can use a USB modem for SMS/MMS
• possibly write the above things so that you can attach multiple USB modems (in case you want to do voice/SMS/MMS on one, and data on a different one, or have multiple data feeds, or multiple voice lines, etc.)
• hopefully write it such that you can do voice/messaging/data simultaneously on the same modem
• Dunno if you can or can't do USB storage devices now, but make sure that's in there
• All of the above with friendly configuration interfaces -- maybe not Maemo Control Panels, but if not then a webmin server that could run on the tablet.

That would probably handle everything I want/need in a pocketable server. I might want to also buy a battery powered USB hub, and stuff it all into a semi-large Pelican Case or Otterbox, but, here's what I'd see as the strengths:

• I already own 2 N800s and an N810
• I could use one as a network gateway device, with any USB Modem bearing carrier, or multiple USB modem bearing carriers, and serve it to one of my other tablets or even to a laptop (or wifi enabled phone that may or may not have 3G itself)
• With the N800's two built-in SD slots (can they support the new 16GB SDHC cards?), the possibility of USB card readers (CF, SDHC, etc.), and possibly even USB HDs (HDD or SSD), you'd have a ton of storage options
• With the software, you'd be able to use any IM client for your texting, and any SIP client for your voice calls. Possibly even the same tablet itself (the RTCOMM software on the Maemo talking to the local SIP/Jabber server on the same tablet).

I actually rather like this idea... throw in SyncML client (for Maemo in general) and server (for use as a pocketable server) and an external battery pack (I'm pretty sure those already exist for devices that use the N800/N810/E61/E62/E71/etc. style charger plug), and it'd be gold. A battery pack that could both recharge the N800/N810's battery, and power a small USB hub, would be ideal.

Of course, you might be able to do the same things on a Pandora, I'm sure. That way you don't have to worry about the EOL of the N800.