Could all the senseless ranters here PLEASE come back on-topic? It's really impolite to the original poster to hijack a thread.

I for one share the criticism of the original poster. My pet issue is that you can touch an icon, the GUI lights it up, but nothing happens afterwards. About the issues of the author:

1. Modest E-mail Client: It might depend on your usage patterns and servers and protocols. I have no issues with it, but only use it to write quick replies to some mails in a basic fashion. Of course, a beast like the N900 should offer e-mail services like the E-Series or the RIM devices. But then, Nokia simply isn't there yet. Basic functions ok, advanced ones probably not.

2. Application Manager: "Every single click in this application leads to a few unnecessary seconds of loading." Depends on the number of active repos. To build the list of apps, a large file needs to be parsed every time and there is probably no caching implemented in there unfortunately.

3. Media Player: Fill a bug report for the search issue.

4. Photos: It's because it depends on Tracker for indexing and Tracker goes haywire every now and then (or the hildon-thumbnailer daemon, which is nearly as stupid). And yes, it really shouldn't show the indexed pics/coverarts in the music subfolders as images.

5. Contacts: Can't comment, ok for my 300 contacts.

The "problem" of the N900 is that the OS and hardware got ready just in time for the device release (IMHO), and there was not much time left to add all the applications. In addition, some core OS components just weren't 100% ready (e.g. the mentioned Tracker should now be much more advanced). Add an ever shifting framework (GTK>QT) worsening the situation. Top it with a open-source marketing philosophy mixed with a closed-source release practice and you get the mess we're currently in.

As a developer and power user, I REALLY expect Nokia to hold ups it's end of the situation and improve THEIR part of the N900 - because the 3rd party developers work on it daily and are engaged in an intensive feedback/release-process with the community. The users now expect the same from Nokia for their apps. Or if they can't deliver, they should at least open source these components.