There are a number of threads appearing now from people who appear profoundly disappointed with a device they either have received or have tried out, (See 'Yes it sucks' and 'Reality Check') which has left me wondering whether people haven't had unrealistic expectations.

So I asked myself what I expect from an n900, and wondered what you expected (or are still expecting).

1) I'm not expecting a fully formed phone. n900's family tree is almost exclusively internet tablets. I don't think n900 ever dreamed it could be a phone when it grew up until some well-meaning careers advisor saw its potential. By then it had missed the chance to get the right subjects in school, so it's playing catch-up a bit. It will be a fully formed phone, but right now it's still learning.

2) I'm not expecting an 'adult' device - as with the phone, n900 is still growing. If I wanted something fully formed, I'd have picked a s60 device, sprung from the rib of nokia fully adult. N900 is still really 'becoming'. When you get your s60 device, you spend a fortnight making it how you want and that's it: done. When you get an n900 it will grow with you and go on developing and becoming. Of course, that means it's not perfect already, but then, neither am I.

3) It's a mobile device. It will not make me slimmer, more beautiful, or attractive to the opposite sex. It will not cause me to win the lottery, marry a millionaire or gain 80 IQ points. Ultimately, n900 will not make me happy - any more than any other shiny new toy will. They may amuse me, connect me to people (who may make me happy) and provide me with a new hobby. But happiness comes from somewhere quite else.

I get the impression that some people are disappointed with n900 because it doesn't live up to unrealistic expectations. People who have seen the exciting yootoobs and just assume that the device will have all these extra features on top of all the ones they already have. Or people who think that they can buy perfection for £499.

So I ask - what did you expect?

(feel free to not take this too seriously...)