While I concur that the N900 is definitely not the right thing to get if you're just looking for a phone, I don't think you'd have to fulfill any of the conditions given above in order to use it.

I might be a bit biased since I'm a software developer, but I never had the impression that one HAD to spend a lot of time or HAD to be a Linux buff in order to enjoy the N900.

Actually, if it wasn't for the price I would feel comfortable giving one to my mother - and I normally start sweating the second she's even in vague proximity to a computer... :P

Does it need effort and at least a basic understanding of Linux to turn the N900 into a printing server? Definitely! Will it take lots of time, patience and knowledge to start your favourite Java AWT application on the N900? Sure as hell! Will the device put up a fight while you're trying to convince it to play videos dependent on some obscure codecs? You bet!

But you're either already a bit of a tech geek if you want those functionalities, or you're an average smartphone user and would most probably not even THINK about whether those work on your device.

What's installed out-of-the-box (and what can easily be downloaded thanks to the quite fool-proof installer) should be more than sufficient, since it basically covers everything standard smartphones can do - and in my opinion a lot of those applications are actually more comfortable to use than some of those horrid iPhone apps.

(Again, the only reason I would not recommend the N900 to the average PHONE user is the fact that it would be casting pearls before swine - but so is spending a fortune on an iPhone just so you can play Sudoku on a touch screen. :P)

And if out-of-the-box and maemo.org-repository isn't sufficient for you, you sure as hell already ARE someone who loves to pimp his device, and then I'd say the N900 is the perfect choice. Enjoy your new videoplayer-tvremote-musicplayer-calculator-flashlight-bubblelevel-webbrowser-skypephone-gamingplattform-stellarmap-printerserver-navi-email-computer that coincidentially also happens to include a phone app.