@evankwh:
If the main thing you want out of a phone is 3D games, then you will probably be disappointed by the current lack of such content. There are not currently very many commercial developers for Maemo, and while that hasn't stopped the community from coming out with some really awesome applications, certain categories of things (such as high-budget games) are not prevalent. As far as the phone hardware goes, I'd fully recommend it. The Operating System is great in most ways, and the browsing experience in particular is superb. I can't speak for the Palm Pre, not having used it much, but the N900's browser will not disappoint - that, I can essentially guarantee. You can browse the web just the same as if you were on a desktop computer (yes, even including "mouse hover" functionality for menus and stuff that are normally awkward/impossible on a phone, and yes, including Flash), and it's fast. GMail with full AJAX (e.g. the fancy desktop version)? No problem.
If you want more of an "iPhone experience without the iPhone" (or without Apple), then you may be outside of what I would consider the N900's target demographic. It's an excellent phone, and I would recommend it to others in general, but I don't know if it fully fits your use-case.
Even if you don't decide to go with the N900, keep tuned to the news on MeeGo, because if it kicks off like they think it will, it should keep the good parts of Maemo, as well as be more your style. :P