I had this misgiving too, at first until I learned to look at the N900 not as the evolution of everything Nokia has ever done for the mobile phones, but instead as their attempt at making a portable computer that also happens to make phone calls..

..yes, I know i bough it primarily on the misunderstanding that it's a phone and the initial diappointment that it's not actually as accomplished a phone as the 5800 or N97 but it does have many amazing computer features that I've now warmed to and these make up for the phone side of things (as in what I've come to expect from a phone) being a bit weak

The diddy keyboard, however, is not one of these amazing features.. I'm hoping for a 3x4 dial pad and T9 style predictive