I have a pocketable computer that replaced my laptop and even at two years old every indication is that it would blow the doors off the computer aspect of the N900. For the unsubsidized price of an N900, you could get a Viliv S5 or UMID M1 and a Nokia 1661 for voice calls.

Like it or not, the competition the N900 is up against is the smartphone segment which can handle phone duties and light computing. Facebook and email are significant to the users, the relative openness of the Linux distro is much less so.

Nokia needs to focus on the everyday capabilities and apps of the N900 to be successful. It is rapidly loosing the initial advantages as far as hardware (the new Samsung Moment has a faster CPU and an OLED screen). It needs to wow people with the UI.

In a CNet interview with Doug Fisher of Intel (which is well worth reading in its entirety), he discussed what is driving their Linux distro, Moblin, which will eventually be competing with Maemo and Android for the smartphone market:

"We had three main areas that we had been driving requirements around, which is Internet usage, media consumption, and social networking. Those are really the three design points Moblin is focused around--that type of device. It's really a different usage experience. What you described [lack of end user adoption of Linux] is really true. Educating the user to make them comfortable with this type of environment is important, and what they do with this device after they get it is critical."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-103...g=2547-1_3-0-5