I should preface this by saying that the 770 I own was purchased to fill a niche need; portable internet access with similar functionality to a desktop computer. Anything above and beyond that needs to make large leaps and bounds before it'll garner my attention again. I'm not sure the N800 has done that, though admittedly I'm paying it only mild attention.

So, true to the topic; here's why I won't be buying an N800. Yet.

Speed has always been a relative thing in the realm of computing. I have a P4 3GHz PC at home that was blazing fast in 2004 and still serves my needs now. In 2007, it's not the fastest, but still serves my needs. The 770 works acceptably.

A device in a portable form factor just aches to be carried abroad. A foam case reminescent of those "We're Number 1!" foam hands at sporting events doesn't really cut it from portability or protective perspectives. Nokia was genius to incorporate a hard case on the 770. I dare say it's why more than 5% of them still exist in the wild today. I'd really love to hear the reasoning on ditching it completely (even tailoring the N800 chassis for a sold-separately clip-on model would've been better).

Memory... 2 SD card slots. Bonus. This is a good move, and this is a perfect example of me being a fickle consumer. Seriously, I don't want to be dicking around with any more memory card formats. In my home we've already got RSMMC, CompactFlash, and those big suckers with the gold contacts on them whose name eludes me.

Software. This, I admit, I could be completely wrong about. I've heard backwards compatibility isn't possible. Here's my issue; For a device that relies so heavily on *volunteer* community involvement so far as application production goes, why break it? I remember when Linux switched binary formats years ago you'd have to compile apps for the old a.out format, or the new (at the time) ELF format (Hope I got that information right, this dates back to the mid 90's and I was 15 at the time). Is it just a matter of recompilation? If not, a bunch of already stressed developers using their precious spare time to make for a more robust tablet are being prodded to do even more... and so soon after the last tablet came out. I don't know about you, but I'd either be a zealot (never heard that term applied to Linux users before - - hah!) and stick with the 770, or give up completely. The hallowed internet acronym WTF seems fitting.

I'd *love* to see the data behind those customer surveys. I realize I have very fleeting contact with the 770 userbase as a whole what with frequenting ITT (we're all nuts, just admit it) but where are these people who said the hard case was a horrible idea? Was it the 'blocks access to the stylus' crowd? (Come on, slide the cover 1/4 inch and pull it out, it's not hard.) Didn't everyone champion further developing the applications at hand? The abysmal email client (that I don't even use anyway)? A better suite for streaming media from their desktops?

... wtf?

** edit: Referring to the hardcase, I mean an actual cover, not something I could construct with a greeting card and a strip of duct tape:
http://www.europe.nokia.com/accessorieslink?s=N800Case